Review: Gypsy Death and You – e.p. no. 1

/ / New Music, Opinion, rantings, review

Well, it showed up today. I’ve ordered and won literally hundreds of CDs over the last month. Far and away, this has been the most anticipated one. I have, in my hands, the first EP from Gypsy Death and You. That’s THE BAND–not the song by The Kills.

This is why I’m a big fan of sites like Feed the Muse and Kickstarter. These guys *need* a site like that, if they don’t already have one. If they do, I’m not aware of it, but a search of both those sites reveals nothing, so … hmm.

First off, a big thanks to the band for sending this. I couldn’t imagine working or communicating with a nicer couple.

Gypsy Death and You are Alex Wilson and Emily Cahill. They’re from the Philadelphia area. If they’re any indication of the music scene in Philly, then the City of Brotherly Love is in most excellent musical hands.

The overall sound is amazing,–very raw and un-refined. I consider this to be a beautiful, beautiful thing. Here’s why.

What you hear is what you get. This music is precisely what you would hear if they decided to drop by and perform an impromptu concert in your front yard. It sounds like there is very little, if any, processing or “cleansing.” It’s real. There’s nothing other than the instruments and the band. In baking, raw, unrefined sugar is preferred to processed, white, refined sugar. Unrefined sugar has nutritional properties that are flat-out missing in refined sugars. Processed sugar is useless. I feel the same would be true if GDaY were to run their sound through a bunch of “refinement.” Their energy comes through with all the nuance and precision of a seasoned band, yet this is just their first EP. They’re not bogged down with all the baggage of someone like Bob Rock mucking up their sound (think what Metallica *could* have been if he hadn’t produced the black album. I’m just saying.)

The only exception to this is the beginning of “Capitol Jump,” where the intro is this wonderfully cacophonous noise barrage, filled with pounding drums, raging guitars, and a mix that leaves you shocked when they move beyond. They grab you with this infectious “Ah-ah-ah-ahhhh-ahhhh …” I like. A lot. Then we’re treated to the only song on the EP where Alex performs the primary vocals. On ReverbNation, they’ve uploaded a new version that has a more harmonic intro. Personally, I like the original! At least, I think that’s the original intro. Actually, I don’t know which is new version. Guess I should find out!

UPDATE: Boy was I wrong. I had it backwards. The ReverbNation version is the original. The one on the EP is the newer version. So, to be clear, prefer the newer, love the older. Capiche?

“Smile” has a very 80’s sounding, Molly Ringwald flavor to it. Odd, cuz as far as I know, she has never released a CD in her life. I don’t know if it’s Emily’s vocals or what, but the first thing I thought of when I heard this song was “Pretty in Pink.” I have no idea why. And it’s catchy. “A smile on you is a smile on me.”

The thing I like about “Sound of the Sun” is the tempo. For some reason, this strikes me as a very Lush sound to the music with a Kim Deal (though muffled through the distortion of the guitars) quality to the vocals, all the while maintaining their own sound.

If you’re a fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain, you’ll love their cover of “Something I Can’t Have.” It sounds like they’ve taken it up an octave to play to Emily’s vocal strengths, and it comes off with an awesome vibe.

In a nutshell, I *highly* recommend finding a way to pick up their CD. They’re good, they’re talented, they have more going on upstairs than most bands. They’re young, they’re inspired, and they have the potential to be around for long, long time.

There is just one small, tiny little nagging issue: the lack of availability. These guys deserve to have their music dispersed through some place like iTunes or Amazon … somewhere. They should be getting paid for their music. I don’t want to see them become another “flash in the pan,” you know?! They sent me the CD on their dime, even though I requested a PayPal address to help fund them. Were they to put their music on iTunes, I would buy it just to support them because they deserve it.

Emily, Alex … if you’re reading this, ya gotta get this out there. You are not just some other band. Your music is danceable. It’s at once up-beat and introspective. This has stratospheric potential. I’m begging you … do not quit. Do not give up. Put it on iTunes! Why not?! I can almost guarantee you you’ll have at least a favorable reviews.

Again, I want to thank these guys for the CD. I’m glad to have it, and I can’t wait to hear what else these guys come up with.

Facebook page

Muxtape page

Interview with NWSHoegazing.com

That is all.

Curse You, Domesticity

/ / review

No fun music post tonight. Tired from failing at faucet changing, and I have to work in the morning. I *will* have that sink installed tomorrow.

I hate indoor plumbing. That is all.

Review: Sambassadeur – European

/ / New Music, Opinion, review

The funny thing about Sambassadeur is that it took me a few weeks to actually check out their video that my buddy posted on my Facebook page. Once I did though, I immediately bought everything of theirs I could find on Amazon. So far, I’ve ended up with European, New Moon EP, Migration, and their self-titled first full-length CD. All of them are fantastic.

I got into the Cranberries in the middle of 1994. I don’t think Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? had been out too terribly long when I stumbled across that little gem. My first reaction was, “Hmm. Catchy. Sing-songy. I can get into this.”

Same thing with these guys. The difference is time and location. Delores et al are now kind of in a state of indefinite hibernation, whereas these guys had a great new release in European just this past year. Sambassadeur is from Swenen; Cranberries … still European, but from the Emerald Isle.

There sure isn’t much info to be found on these guys. The most helpful page I found was on Last.fm. Even that is kind of scant, but it’s what we have. Even their own website basically refers you out to the Myspace page. Tragic. I refuse to pull up a single Myspace page for the ridiculous amounts of virii I’ve caught from their site in the past. I’m just not willing to risk it.

Some of the standout tracks include the 3rd on the CD. “I Can Try” is up-beat with a kind of Abba sound to it, but the subject matter … not so sure. If I’m hearing the lyrics right, this is a person who’s looking for something new after wading through some pretty dark times. What those dark times are left to interpretation, but I’m guessing it’s dealing with relationships. I mean, with a chorus like, “I can try to leave behond the wishful and the wiled, the ivory skyline of your smile. I can wipe you off in time and revise the play in mind my mind. I can try. There’s another way of thinking thoughts to say–another way of knowing paths to take. I can try to find a heart, and I can find a way to make it start.” It’s a seriously catchy song.

The song that hooked me–“Forward Is All”–is another great track. I love the rumbling timpani (at least I *think* that’s a timpani …) and the string section.

This is not to say at all that Anna and the boys are a Cranberries rip-off. Far from it. Yes–the styles are similar. However, they also have their definitive sound. Lots of the tracks have string backgrounds, all of which are well-layered and mixed.

Anna Persson has her own distinct voice that perfectly blends with the mellowness that exudes from all Sambassadeur music. Seriously … this stuff reminds me of lying on a beach chair, watching and listening to the waves relentlessly crash on the sand as you sip your drink and watch the sun lazily roll across the sky, heading for the inevitable horizon that brings such incredible hues and tones to what would already be considered a perfect day.

Again, I don’t know who plays what other instruments, but I can say this: whoever plays bass is slick. I mean … the bass lines aren’t anything like Geddy Lee or Les Claypool-like in their intensity or complexity, but they don’t have to be to be excellent. They’re subtle, they’re complimentary to the strings and guitar (yes … I know that the guitar is a string instrument … shut up), which really could be said of just about any good bassist, but really … there’s something different. Something perfectly in synch with the whole band. Some bands’ bassists just seem to be there, throwing down a non-useful and very forgettable bass line (yes–I mean you, Michael Anthony. Not that it’s your fault, living in Edward’s shadow …)

All three parts–guitar, bass and drums, combined with the strings, at times add a very slight edge of phreneticism that beautifully accentuates the subject matter. The last half of “Sandy Dunes” sounds pretty similar to the first half, but there’s just a different feel. The guitar is just a bit more intense. The bass line is just a hair more accentuated. The drums fills have just that extra “oomph” to them. Combine all of that, and there’s just something that evokes more emotion than you would have assumed with the first half of the song.

I have to give my buddy Russ an incredible shout-out for these guys. He and I throw musical ideas and suggestions across facebook like Serena and Venus volley tennis balls in their free time. Except we’re guys, and we’d probably suck at tennis … but we definitely do *not* suck at music suggestions. To Russ: I owe you for these guys. In them, I have my new work music set for the foreseeable future. They’re relaxing in times of chaos. They bring a mellowness heretofore unachieved by just about anyone. Not even Alison Shaw and Cranes have this affect, and I freakin’ LOVE them.

You’ll like these guys if you like:

  • The Cranberries
  • The Sundays
  • Frente’!

If any of those band appeal to you, pick up Sambassadeur’s entire discography. NOW. If not, pick up their CDs anyway cuz your life cannot continue on its present course and not be as genuinely moved and happy as you could be if you had these guys.

Review: Widowspeak – October Tape EP

/ / New Music, Opinion, rantings, review

So, apparently I like these guys a lot more than I realized. I’m now taking their band of the day and re-reviewing it. Oh to have an original thought for just once today. Alas–the sun has set; Orion peaks in the southern sky. and I … I am left bereft of the capacity for generating my own ideas.

Oh well! 🙂

Yah … I spent a good deal of time yesterday on their site, poking around and finding new music. Well, new to me, anyway. One band in particular stood out. Widowspeak hails from Brooklyn NY. I was *really* hoping that at least Hope Sandoval was from the same area, but no … she and the rest of Mazzy Star are from the SoCal Left Coast.

If Kurt Cobain were still alive, and he and Hope had a band-child, that band would be Widowspeak. If you think you would like a mix of Mazzy Star-type stuff with a slight edge of PNW circa 1992, AND you throw in Alison Shaw (of Cranes fame) toned down an entire octave for vocals, you will totally get off on these guys. AND, for the moment, you can check out and download 3 tracks from this EP from this site. Tragically, you can’t download the entire EP like I did. Imagine that I’m doing a happy dance. Cuz really, I am. Free music is ALWAYS cause for celebration. Unless it sucks, which this stuff does not. So … happy dance. In the computer chair. Actually, don’t imagine. It’s kind of a stupid dance. I never claimed to have a good groove move.

There are only 6 tracks, so I can’t justify discussing more than 2 without teetering on the edge of spoiling the whole thing for you. “Burnout,” the slowest of the 6, will lull you into a trance. Molly Hamilton sultrily croons away as she meanders through the song hand in hand with you. The melting riffs of (?=guitarist: Michael Stasiak; else=Robert Thomas) will pour out of your headphones and cleanse your semi-circular canals and right your balance like you never knew was possible. Conversely, on “Night Crawlers,” Molly softly pulls off her best Meg White impression while the guitars and drums churn away in a much more up-tempo beat than any other track.

So seriously, here’s why you need to pick up this CD: it’s hot. It’s moody. It’s slow … ish. It’s dark in a totally not macabre way. It sways. It hypnotizes. It will leave you wondering when the first full-length CD will hit the streets. I have an email in to the band asking if one is in the works. Hopefully we’ll know more in a bit! Until then, this 6-track offering will have to tide us over.

Follow them here on Facebook!

How To Amass a CD Collection Overnight

/ / New Music, Opinion, rantings, review

Win this.

That will constitute approximately 1/3 of my collection.

Awesomesauce.

The beauty is that I have no idea what’s in the mix. Could be utter crap, for all I know. BUT either Graywhale or Gamestop will take all of them, and I’ll more than make my money back. At approximately 11 cents per CD, it wouldn’t take much to make my money back 3 times over, at which point I could just get a bunch of CDs I know I’ll want.

But I’m betting I won’t have to do that. Not with all of them, anyway. Guess we’ll know in a week!

Cloud-Based Programs for your iDevice (a.k.a. Death of the iPod Classic Redux)

/ / iPhone Apps, Opinion, rantings, review

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that it is entirely possible that we have seen the last large-capacity iPod. 160GB might be the max that Apple goes for music devices.

Maybe. Who knows …

The reason very well could be due to the movement of cloud-based music storage. Apple has bought a few different properties and land that could be the basis for their movement to online storage … probably at a monthly or yearly price point. Exciting, but … hmm. Again, my point is that many of us have music collections that far exceed 500GB. It’s ludicrous to think that Apple will provide a fairly decent-sized hard drive for EVERY SINGLE PERSON who wants to use a cloud-based service.

So what are the alternatives? Is there anything out there right now that can provide a similar service? At what cost? Can I get all my music and stuff to my device?!

Yes you can, and little to no cost.

How about “free”? How about “$20”? No subscription rates, no annual or monthly fees … your library, your device.

I’ve done some digging around and have come up with a pretty good list of applications and programs that will keep you earlobes deep in Funkytown.

Audiogalaxy
This is a *great* audi0 library streaming program. Best part–it’s free.  You create an online account on their website, then download and install a desktop application. Once you install it, you specify what folders you want it to scan for music. It finds all the audio files within those folders. Once it completes the scan, it catalogs what it finds on its server. Next, download the Audiogalaxy app, install it, and log in  using the account info you created on AG’s website. Voila! You have access to your entire music collection!

One drawback: you cannot delete files by simply selecting them from AG’s user interface. “Erm … why would I want to delete music from my library?” Let me give you an example. Right now, I have Terry Oldfield’s and Sally Oldfield’s entire discographies on AG. I … meh. I don’t particularly want to listen to them, nor do I care if I have them in my AG library. In order to get them out of AG, I have to move them to a separate file that’s not in my AG database, then I have to rescan the AG folder. Kind of lame … and I’m not a fan.

Of course, it works best over wi-fi, but it holds up extremely well with as little as two bars on my phone. Buffering is minimal.

Zumocast

First off, if you don’t already have Zumocast downloaded and installed, looks like you’ll be waiting a couple of months before you can get it. Bummer, since it’ll stream audio, music, docs … pretty much anything. So … that sucks. I was looking forward to watching Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Guess that’s not happening. Yet. When it was available in the App store, it was free. Here’s hoping it returns as the same.

The beauty of Zumocast is that it will stream audio AND video. That’s pretty slick … except it’s not available right now. Someday …

Sorry if anyone finds the ellipses condescending (YOU know who you are!!). 🙂

ooTunes

Not free. $19.99. And it uses a browser to stream. And it hella-sucks to set up. Unless your last name is “Gates” or “Jobs,” I wouldn’t mess with this. No program should be this difficult to set up.

Air Video

Similar to Audiogalaxy, except it doesn’t play music files; it streams only video files. However, this was too good to pass up. Same process as AG: go to website; download desktop app; install; search for vid files; download iPhone app ($4.99, no freebie version); xyz, blah blah blah. End result: 1300 video files streaming to my phone. Yah. I can deal with with that. I would like to be able to have “one app to rule them all,” as it were, but I can wait until Zumocast is back up and running. Meanwhile, this app will be fine.

There is one *tiny* little drawback, and it’s probably just some tweak that I haven’t properly configured … I can’t get this to work over 3G. It works great on my home wi-fi network, but I don’t know about wandering out of my router’s range. I’ll have to test that later. But if you’re just bumming around the house and you have a wireless network, it’s definitely worth the $5.

End result of all apps tested: Audiogalaxy for streaming all your music; Air Video to stream your vids … UNTIL Zumocast is re-released!

eBay One-Cent Auctions

/ / review

So here’s a really good reason to check eBay for lot auctions: 20 CDs for just over $7.00.

  • Michelle Malone – Beneath The Devil Moon
  • Danielle Howle and The Tantrums – Do A Two Sable
  • The Honeydogs – Seen A Ghost
  • Mighty John Henry – Hot Air Head
  • Mumble And Peg – Wondering In Volume
  • The Mysteries Of Life – Come Clean
  • Magnapop – Fire All Your Guns At Once (4-song EP)
  • Royal Fingerbowl – Happy Birthday, Sabo!
  • S.O.L.O. – Out Is In
  • Snow Patrol – Songs For Polarbears (pressed advance in jewel case with info sticker on front)
  • Dan Sartain – Vs. The Serpientes
  • The Blam – self titled
  • Olympus Mons – self titled
  • Year Future – self titled 4-track EP
  • Ric Ocasek – Troublizing (pressed advance in cardboard sleeve with printed info)
  • Rob Rule – self titled debut (pressed advance in cardboard sleeve with printed info)
  • Old Hickory – Other Eras… Such As Witchcraft (pressed advance in polythene sleeve with front insert)
  • Ridel High – Emotional Rollercoaster (pressed advance in polythene sleeve with front insert)
  • The Promise Ring – Nothing Feels Good (pressed advance in polythene sleeve – no artwork)
  • Grey Does Matter – How To Make Millions In Real Estate

Someone from NPR has a bunch of CDs they want to unload, so they put them up for auction. One person had a bid in, and I sniped it. HEH.

This is just kind of a random post. I have another one in the works that will be much better. I’m just stoked about getting 20 CDs for so little!

New Music Friday, Percocet Edition

/ / review

Okay, not that Percocet has ANYthing to do with the fact that I bought this stuff. I just happen to be on Percocet while I’m typing this. Yes it’s related to yesterday’s post. I will say this much: catheters are not a pain in the ass; they’re a pain in somewhere MUCH worse. If you can avoid them, do so.

So here’s the new stuff. It’s an awesome set, too. Already  previewed some of it.

  • Sinoia Caves – The Enchanter Persuaded
  • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Some Loud Thunder
  • Cul de Sac – Death of the Sun
  • Combustible Edison – Schizophrenic
  • The Delta 72 – The Soul of a New Machine
  • Division Day – Visitation
  • Double Dagger – Masks
  • Division of Laura Lee – Black City
  • Division of Laura Lee – DasNotCompute
  • Digable Cat – Letters from My Dreams
  • The Early November – For All of This
  • Common Loon – The Long Dream of Birds
  • Club 8 – The Friend I Once Had
  • Clinic – Walking With Thee
  • Consonant – Love and Affection
  • Decibully – Sing Out America

I’m also waiting on a Scars on Broadway CD from Amazon. That’s Daron Malakian and Jon Dolmayan from System of a Down fame. I’m curious to see how they sound. I’ve always like Daron’s vocal contributions, so I imagine his solo material (read: half of SOAD) will be awesome. Guess I’ll find out when the CD comes, eh?

And now the CD ripping begins.

“Dude. You buy CDs still? Why …?”

I like it. So what? It also means that no one can tell me what to do with MY purchased and ripped material. I don’t have to worry about what iTunes window it’s playing in, no picky DRM … it’s all mine.

And on that note, I bid you all a great night. This Percocet stuff is gonna knock me out cold. Again. I hope …

I Hate To Do This, But …

/ / review

I *might* be off the grid for the weekend. I’m trying to get some stuff written tonight so I’ll have posts lined up for tomorrow, Friday, and the weekend. Long story short, I’m going under the knife. Well, okay … in this case, it’s the scope, but to get to where the doctors need to go, they have to scrape away a lot of scar tissue. Ask me how excited I am about this. Actually, don’t. In fact, I’ll just tell you: I am not at all looking forward to this. Not even for the post-op pain killers. Definitely *not* worth it.

So gonna be thinking about Type O-Negative. Good news about this is that they’ll be using general anesthetic. That’s about where the good news stops. Other than maybe a 20 to 4o-count of either Lortab or Percocet. If that can be called good news, then … yay. Other than that, the rest of the weekend is shaping up to haz teh suxors.

*grumblemumblemutterundermybreathaboutstupidscopeanddeathanddumbandshitidontwant
todealwithbuthavetocuzifidonticouldendupdeadwhichwouldsuckworsethantheactualknifestuff*

Karma Phala in All Its Glory

/ / New Music, review

It is with much over-due pleasure that I review one of my most recent musical … acquisitions. Not purchased, not pirated. A simple email, a simple response, and a simple response to the response. Next thing I knew, I got a lovely little package in the mail. Sarah Fimm is working on her 7th CD. Meanwhile, she had been working on a project called “Karma Phala.” This compilation was distributed in the single most philanthropic method I’ve ever seen:

She mailed me a thumb drive full of music, pictures, and a video, and she mailed it to anyone who asked.

That’s it. And she’s been mailing them all over the world. Correct me if I’m mistaken, because oftentimes I am, but isn’t the current music business model to sell your soul to the RIAA so they can rape and pillage our wallets? So … how is she doing this? WHY is she doing this? Truthfully, I don’t have an answer. All I know is that I am the happy recipient of a thumb drive full of love and beauty. Maybe it’s the fact that she knows how to “pay it forward”: she mails off this nifty little gift with tracks from her previous 6 CDs PLUS previously unreleased material, and she hooks people enough for them to want to buy all 6 CDs (if they don’t have some or all of them already). For the unfamiliar, it’s a great way to indoctrinate new fans. For those who are well-acquainted with her work, they’ll be  happy to have new material to tide them over until the new CD comes out. For everyone, it’s a piece of awesome-ness.

Oh. And it’s not just a thumb drive. It’s silk-screened with a fitting little logo. You really should just get one of  these. I don’t know if she’s still running this promotion, but if she is, jump on it.

Now … for the music.

To understand the scope of this project, keep in mind that there are 31 tracks, 13 of which are previously unreleased material. In that mix are a few instrumentals and experimental tracks, all of which will haunt your auditory canals until the day you die. And even then you’ll probably mix and mingle with the ghosts of Karma Phala past, present and future.

Rather than review individual tracks, I’m going to give you an overall view of what you can expect. You can expect to get some lovin’ with your significant other. And by that, I mean intense, sweet, hot lovin’. There are some serious grooves on here that will turn the most shriveled up grape into the sweetest bottle of wine. You could actually get drunk from listening to this over and over. It’s that intoxicating.

She works her vocals like a snake charmer works a python in and out of a trance. She’ll take your breath and she won’t give it back until she’s ready. There is something ultra-sexy about her voice and music that … riles. Turn off the lights, light some candles, burn some incense, and grab your lover cuz there’s gonna be some sweet-ness going on. If her music doesn’t have that affect on you, you’re void of life. Or at least of hormones … cuz seriously? Damn.

There are definitely some stand-out tracks on this compilations, but I’m going to let you discover those on your own. You know what I think of the music. Now … if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find my wife and some candles. 😉

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