May, 2010 | The Oomph Music Blog

Good, Bad, Ugly, Modern, Retro: The Hollyfelds

May 212010

I don’t know if there’s an official genre called retro-country. (If there isn’t, I’m sure we could just make it up. You can do that these days, you know.)

Anywho…if retro-country is a genre, that’s the best way to describe the sound of Denver locals The Hollyfelds. (That’s FELDS, not FIELDS.) Hearing their music and/or seeing them play live definitely reminds you of days gone by, when country was country-western, not just rock & roll put out to pasture.

And yet, there’s a modern element in there as well. It doesn’t sound exactly like old-school country; there’s a distinct alt-indie vibe in there. Almost like an indie band went back in time to the fifties, attended a hoe-down (the retro meaning–keep it clean, folks) and came back sounding like this. Or maybe the other way around, like a 50’s country band came to the future, picked up some alternative vibes, and went back…well, make up your own mind. You get the idea. Either way, they are a fun band to listen to.

True to the retro vibe, the Hollyfelds are releasing a two-song “EP” this weekend, entitled, Lo Bueno, Lo Malo, Lo Feo, on 7″ vinyl record–just like the 45-speed records my kid once thought were just oversized CDs. AND…true to the modern vibe that is also part of The Hollyfelds…the two songs will also be available by digital download. You can hear one of the songs below.

The Hollyfelds: “How To Be Gone”

BTW…that EP title. It sort of makes me want to whistle the theme song of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. In Spanish.

If you’re in Denver this weekend, you can catch the Hollyfeld’s EP release party this Saturday, May 22, at the Meadowlark Bar. Details are posted on my weekend picks on Examiner.com.

Snow & Voices: A Beautiful, Quiet Storm

indie music No Responses »

May 152010

Hailing from LA, Snow & Voices is the creative partnership of vocalist Lauri Kranz and multi-instrumentalist Jebin Bruni. Their third effort, Anything that Moves, is set to release on May 25.

Downtempo, atmospheric and haunting, Anything that Moves is a keyboard-heavy collection of songs, carried by simple drum and bass and overlaid by Kranz’s beautifully understated vocals. A roster of top LA musicians round out the recording as well.

Check out the song, “I Am a Storm” below; see what you think.

Snow & Voices: “I Am a Storm”

La Roux Remixes Out Today

bands No Responses »

May 112010

If you are into British electropop (or listen to American Top-40 radio), you have probably heard the song “Bulletproof” by La Roux. It’s become a bit of a dance anthem, simple but catchy.

Interestingly, understanding who La Roux is can be a study in itself. La Roux is not frontwoman-redhead Elly Jackson (even though the moniker might suggest it). La Roux is a duo–a band. However, the other half of La Roux, Ben Langmaid, doesn’t play live with the band; three other supporting musicians take that role. So…La Roux is a duo, but you won’t see them play together, because one half of La Roux goes on tour with three other musicians, while the other half stays home. Get it?

Another anomaly: Elly Jackson’s roots are in folk music. Go figure.

Anyhow, today La Roux is releasing The Gold EP, a set of remixes and a live performance of Bulletproof. It’s only available by download. Also, La Roux has announced summer tour dates in the US, including a stop in Denver. Check it out below, and check out the video montage from Coachella.

5/30     Houston, TX                     House Of Blues
6/01      Austin, TX                         La Zona Rosa
6/02     Dallas, TX                           House of Blues
6/5        Denver, CO                        Ogden Theatre
6/7        New York, NY                  Terminal 5
7/14      San Diego, CA                    4th & B
7/15      Los Angeles, CA               Nokia Theatre
7/17     Chicago, IL                         Lilith Fair
7/18      Minneapolis, MN            Lilith Fair
7/20     Indianapolis, IN              Lilith Fair
7/21      Detroit, MI                         Lilith Fair
7/22     Montreal, QB CAN           Lilith Fair
7/24     Toronto, ON CAN            Lilith Fair
7/27     Washington D.C.              9:30 Club
7/28     Baltimore, MD                  Rams Head
7/29     Philadelphia, PA              Trocadero
7/31      Atlanta, GA                        Variety
8/1         Orlando, FL                        Social
8/3        Tampa, FL                          Czar
8/4        Ft.Lauderdale, FL           Culture Room
8/6        Miami Beach, FL              Mansion

Buy “The Gold EP” on Amazon

Music for Animals

bands 1 Response »

May 062010

Hailing from San Francisco, Music for Animals has been gaining traction on the west coast for the past few years. Their hooky, danceable pop/rock vibe has drawn comparisons to The Killers. As a songwriter, I’m always looking for the “hook” in songs or in a sound. I also look for the balance between creativity and accessibility.

I don’t know how original the sound is, but I think this song off the band’s EP is pretty catchy. But don’t take my word for it–see what you think.

Music for Animals: “Nervous in NY”

Alternatives and Experiments–Sam Phillips

artists No Responses »

May 032010

Okay, show of hands…how many of you hundreds dozens ten readers knows who Sam Phillips is?

Hint: It’s not the guy from Sun Records. He’s been dead for years.

No, Sam Phillips is a girl. To be more specific, she’s an eclectic singer/songwriter in a sub-genre some call “lo-fidelity”, kind of a raw, sparse sound that almost sounds like something out of Sun Records. Sam Phillips was once married to T-Bone Burnett, who did the music for Walk the Line and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, as well as his own recordings. (If you’re familiar with his music, you get an idea what Sam Phillips sounds like; heck, you probably already know Sam. I’m rambling now…)

Anyhow, I’ve been a distant fan of Sam Phillips for years, and followed her journey ever since she renounced her previous work as contemporary Christian artist Leslie Phillips in the late 1980s. As Sam Phillips, she’s continued to write and record out of the mainstream, gained a loyal following over time, and even played a role in Die Hard With a Vengeance. And more recently, she’s taken on a whole new experiment–which is the purpose for this post.

As I’ve said before, the musical landscape is in a huge transition right now, the main catalysts being the rise of indie music and the easy access to digital downloads. More and more artists are realizing that they must find other ways to make a living than just selling their music (since it’s so easy to download and share it now). I’m always intrigued to find out what artists are doing to adapt, and Sam Phillips has been trying something totally different.

She’s dropped her record label, gone “indie”, and started a music subscription service on her website called “LongPlay.” For 52 dollars a year (that’s a dollar a week, for you people counting on your fingers and toes), subscribers get five freshly recorded EPs throughout the year, a full-length CD at the end of the year, and access to other interesting materials along the way as Sam gives her fans a window into her ongoing creative process. I personally like the idea because it’s more than just marketing music–it creates a living dialogue between the artist and her fans. It will be the most recorded material in one year that Sam has ever done, and it’s a true experiment.

But it seems to be working.

The latest EP, Magic for Everyone, has garnered such a huge response that on April 20, Sam put it up for public release as a download for sale to the public. You can sample it and buy it on Amazon or itunes.

Whether or not you dig Sam’s lo-fidelity vibe, this is a creative venture for a highly creative artist. It will be interesting to see what comes next.

Buy “Magic For Everybody” from Amazon

Download from itunes:

This YouTube vid is not from the EP–I just think it’s a cool song.

Sons of Sylvia: The Clark Brothers only better

bands No Responses »

May 012010

In the fall of 2007, Fox TV’s year-of-trying-out-every-different-talent-show-they-can-think-of, I particularly enjoyed The Next Great American Band, sort of a battle-of-the-bands version of Idol. It only lasted one season, but the absolute standout band was The Clark Brothers, three brothers named Jones (kidding) who wowed the audience–and the judges–by playing the crap out of a dobro, violin and guitar week after week, with no other backup players. They were playing rock with bluegrass instruments before everyone else started doing it. Their sound was captivating, their passion real, and their talent unmistakable. When The Clark Brothers won the competition, I couldn’t wait for their record to come out.

I waited three years. The show didn’t come back. No one said anything. I wondered if maybe the bros. got screwed by label politics or something. They were preachers kids, and they allowed their faith to come out a bit in their music; I wondered if someone shut ’em down over it.

Finally, a few months ago, Carrie Underwood did a television special, and introduced three members of her backup band as “Sons of Sylvia” to do a song on their own. It was the Clark Brothers. Turns out they’d spent some time re-working things (including the name change) and were working on a record. Hope was restored.

This week, their record, Revelation, came out. You have to buy it. This is not optional.

I was a bit worried that 19 Records would “pop down” their sound, like they’ve done with so many of the Idol contestants over the years, trying to formulize them for record sales instead of letting them be who they are. And yeah, there’s a little of that. But only a little. In the opening track, “John Wayne,” the trademark dobro sound, screeching violin, and Ashley Clark’s stratospheric vocals immediately inform you that this is, undoubtedly, The Clark Brothers–a matured and focused version. And the song will stay in your head for days.

And it keeps getting better from there.

I wish I could put up a track for you here, but you can currently download the track “John Wayne” for free from the Sons of Sylvia website. It probably won’t stay there, so do it now. It will make you want to buy the CD.

Or you can download the whole dad-gum thing right now from Amazon for real cheap by clicking the link below:
Download Sons of Sylvia-“Revelation” from Amazon

Or, of course, you can buy it on itunes for regular price here:

But get it–listen to it.

Seriously.

(By the way, if you’re in the Denver area, Sons of Sylvia will be playing at 1st Bank Center on June 6. Oh, and Carrie will be there, too. Can’t wait!)