The Oomph Music Blog

I recently shared some music from Denver indie-rock band Carbon Choir’s recent full-length record High Beams.  It turns out the band thought four songs originally considered for that record would do better on their own–so this week they are releasing a new EP called Cut from the Cloth.  This record, though, is anything but a set of B-sides.  The band’s lead singer Joel Van Horne tells me that they saved these tunes purposely because of their strengths, not their weaknesses. 

Listening to the songs, I can understand what he means. This band is growing on me the more I sit with their music.  I’m not a huge fan of experimental rock in general, but I really like the emotion these guys are able to bring to their complex arrangements.  I think they’re going someplace.

With the band’s permission, I’ve posted one of the EP tracks below. If you like what you hear, check the band’s website in a few days to see how to get a copy of the EP–or, if you’re in the Denver/Boulder area, you can attend a CD release show this Friday night at the Fox Theatre in Boulder and get a copy there.  In fact, if you’re there early enough, you might get it free!  (First 100 in the door get a free copy.)

Carbon Choir: “Bird with Broken Wings”

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.

To hear them describe themselves, Paean (pronounced, “PAY-in”) is more of a collective than a band–a cooperative community of friends and family. The central rendezvous point seems to be the Maddocks Family Barn, just up the road from here in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  It was here that the creative madness of Dave Maddocks eventually grew into a circle of talented multi-instrumentalists and other creative types, culminating in the band’s latest DIY project, Songs for Us to Sing.

Paean has definitely developed an eclectic sound; actually, it sounds a bit like Appalachian bluegrass got on the wrong bus and wound up at Woodstock.  Filled with moments of intense melencholy, I guess you could also think of it as acoustic emo. But whatever you call it, it seems to work.  Songs for Us to Sing strikes that difficult balance between a consistent thread on the record and diversity in the songs.  In fact, I had a hard time selecting one or two songs that give a clear reflection of what the band sounds like, because each is distinct.  It really is a sit-down-and-listen-to-the-whole-thing kind of record, and the songwriting and overall musicianship are both quite strong.

That said, there’s just one element to the record that made me go, “HUH?”…the lead vocals of Dave Maddocks.  In the mix, the vocals sit under the music quite often, but when they come to the front, it sounds like something akin to panicked hyperventilating.  I literally was asking myself, Does he MEAN to sound like that? Dave’s voice has been described as a “sad voice;” I guess that covers it.  But the interesting thing is that his voice didn’t make me want to turn off the music; instead, it made me want to keep listening, if only to satisfy my curiosity.   Oh, well…Bob Dylan can’t sing to save his life, and look where he wound up.

If you’re in the Denver area, Paean is celebrating its CD release at the Hi-Dive Friday night, along with Bad Weather California and Mehko and Ocean Birds. Go check ’em out for yourself.  Meanwhile, here are a couple of the tracks from the record; you can purchase the record at the band’s MySpace, if you like it.  Either way…tell me what you think about the music.

Paean: “Cut Open”
Paean: “Floyd Brown”