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:
Sam Phillips - Magic for Everybody - EP

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:
Sons of Sylvia - Revelation

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!)

Feel the Paean: “Songs for Us to Sing”

 bands  1 Response »
Apr 272010
 

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”

Honey from an Open Hand

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Apr 242010
 

Open Hand, an indie rock band from LA, is exploring new territory with their album Honey. While their previous work tends toward straight out jam-band rock, this record seems to venture into a more atmospheric, progressive, experimental vibe–even incorporating some hip hop elements. Additional contributors to the record are Matt Talbot of Hum and Christopher “Kid” Reid from Kid ‘n’ Play.

Below is a song from the record, “Cool.” Feel free to give it a thumbs up or thumbs down in the comments. Say what you think.

Open Hand: “Cool”

Download “Honey” on Amazon

OK Go: Indie Goes Again

 bands  No Responses »
Apr 162010
 

I wrote about these guys yesterday on Examiner.com, but I wanted to give ’em a shout out here as well.  OK Go is widely remembered as the band who did the Treadmill Video for their song “Here It Goes Again”, but then they did it again with the vid below.

I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I saw their live show, and I know people might think the YouTube vids are gimmicky, but…when you can put out stuff that makes people go, “How did they DO that??” I figure these guys must be pretty creative.  And that’s what I like about OK Go: they’re creative, and entertaining, even in live performance. Not only are they great musicians, but the whole night you didn’t know what was coming next.  Quirky? Yes.  Gimmicky? Perhaps.

Fun?  You bet.  They make the music fun.

Another interesting tidbit about OK Go is that after starting indie, they are now indie again. They’ve left their label EMI to start their own company.

Yeah, you prolly have seen this before. Humor me.

Signs of the Changing Musical Landscape

 link love  No Responses »
Apr 112010
 

A few months ago, I wrote a post about how indie music was poised to be the future of the music industry in general. Since then, I’ve found numerous confirmations within the indie scene that the landscape of music is changing, and that includes how musicians make their money.

This article from the Atlantic discusses some ways indie musicians are adapting to the changing musical market. Interesting reading, plus a link to download the latest EP from Twin Sister before its official release.

(HT: Largehearted Boy)

Finding Deluka

 bands  No Responses »
Apr 082010
 

I don’t know why sometimes the electronic, new-wave, Brit-pop type sound appeals to me, but it does.  Maybe it’s a reminder to me of the 80’s.  (Should I have written that??)

Anyhow.

Deluka has been stirring it up in the UK for awhile, but with their newly-released self-titled EP they are getting attention here in the US as well. What’s really interesting is that with the tracks I posted below, I actually heard the acoustic version first, and that’s what caught my attention.  It wasn’t till I listened to the second, electro-Brit version that I realized what kind of band they actually are.  Obviously, I still like ’em. :) Try it yourself; listen to the acoustic version first. See whatcha think.

Deluka: “Cascade” (acoustic)
Deluka: “Cascade”

Download the Deluka EP on Amazon

Gabrielle Louise: Musical Wanderlust

 artists  No Responses »
Apr 022010
 

This post complements my article on Examiner.com.

Denver-based singer/songwriter Gabrielle Louise is an indie musician; but whatever sound or image that classification puts in your mind, don’t trust it.  Even if you’re correct in your assumptions about her music, you probably won’t be correct for long.

Although Gabrielle has a distinct sense of identity as a folk/Americana musician, she doesn’t stay corralled there.  Her songs also carry pop and jazz sensibilities, and even a Latin vibe on occasion (she’s been known to include tango dancers in her live performances). She’s performed solo and with several band configurations, and always seems to be reinventing herself.  I don’t mean she reinvents herself in the sense that U2 reinvented themselves after 10 years; I mean Gabrielle is still young, has released 4 indie records since 2006 (and is beginning work on a fifth), and has ventured into more diverse musical territory in that time than most artists do in an entire career. 

When you peer into Gabrielle’s history, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she is so prone to wander.  Music and wanderlust are both inherent in her background; her parents were “musical gypsies” who, in her words, “were playing gigs six nights a week right up until the evening of my birth, so I suppose I was hearing all sorts of messages from the womb that said something like ‘in the future you will suck at math, have ugly calloused fingers and hum incessantly.”‘ 

That gypsy spirit not only carries over into Gabrielle’s chosen career as a musical troubadour–it also explains the wanderings of her musical style.  She has a definite artistic “center”, but locking into one form of musical expression for too long–that’s something her insatiable curiosity just can’t allow.  She’s a musical gypsy–not in the sense that she plays gypsy music (yet), but in the sense that she’s as much a musical wanderer as she is a traveling musician.

To some, this might be a negative, as though Gabrielle doesn’t know who she is, and needs to “find herself.” Gabrielle possesses a songwriting depth and vocal abilities that could easily land her a record deal–but knowing the industry, they’d want her to pin her down into a predictable genre.  The irony is, if she did that, she would actually lose herself, rather than find herself–because musical wanderlust is part of who she is. The gypsy spirit is the very thing that keeps her fresh as a musician; without it, she’d likely lose the creative spark that makes us want to listen in the first place. 

The beauty of being an indie musician, though, is that it gives Gabrielle the freedom to keep exploring, to keep expanding her horizons. And so she continues to make her music, to keep wandering–and to keep inviting us into her journey.

If you’re in the Denver area this weekend and want to hear for yourself, Gabrielle Louise will be doing a show Sunday, April 4, at Dazzle Restaurant and Loungeat 930 Lincoln, beginning at 6:45 PM. Cover charge is $7.  During part of the evening, she’ll be playing the entire tracklist planned for her next recording (she goes into the studio this month).

Gabrielle Louise: “Strange Summer Snow”

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