This Is Pop Music

New Explorers Club Music

2011-10-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

Let's face it folks, the Beach Boys are never coming back, but at least we have the Explorers Club!

Last week I interviewed one of my musical heroes, Jason Brewer, from the band The Explorers Club. If you like The Beach Boys, The Beatles or America you need to go to amazon.com right now and download three brand new songs by The Explorers Club! The best part? They're all free.

This is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005U9Z0PG/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

These three songs are being presented as a suite of music called "The Californian Suite". The three songs on the disc are "Walk On By" (a Burt Bacharach and Hal David standard covered by Dionne Warwick, Isaac Hayes, The Beach Boys and many other greats), Weight Of The World (a brand new original song) and Summer Days and Summer Nights (an original song that references the Beach Boys album of the same name).

This suite of music is fantastic, both as a marketing tool and as a release. All 3 songs are better than anything The Explorers Club have done before. These 3 songs represent a band more unified, educated, confident and artistic than ever before. Their version of Walk On By is different than any you may have ever heard before. The vocals are sung in a powerful and agonizing way that stands out in my mind much more than Dionne Warwick's version and their version also doesn't have the same backing vocals that the Beach Boys version had, so it is impossible to declare them "copycats", considering this version is completely unique. It even has a nasty organ solo at the end!

When I first heard the Beach Boys cover of Walk On By, I ADORED it. I must have listened to their version 20,000 times. I've learned the song and even thought about recording a cover myself. I am kind of glad I didn't get around to recording my version, because it would never have been as good as the Explorers Club version.

The 2 original songs on the suite, Weight of the World and Summer Days and Summer Nights are sort of spiritual sisters. They belong together. Weight of the World has this great flamenco guitar riff in it and amazing Spanish castanets acting as the rhythm. The song also has a great horn riff in the middle of it that makes the song sound like a Bacharach standard (Raindrops anyone?). This song is beautifully crafted and is so gorgeous that I'm afraid some people won't give it a chance, just for being so gorgeous.

Summer Days and Summer Nights is slightly slower than Weight of the World, but probably will have a greater appeal to the general public because it doesn't feature any castanets or flamenco guitar playing, but instead focuses on singing and vocal harmonies. The vocal track on this song is really gorgeous and so are the vocal harmonies dispersed throughout the entire song. Another awesome thing about this song is the ending, which picks up in speed and has a nice keyboard solo with some excellent acoustic guitar riffs and flute lines as well. It's really groovy and reminds me of The Free Design and Harpers Bizarre.

I really love this 3 song EP and I can't encourage you enough to download it immediately from amazon for FREE here -

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005U9Z0PG/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

Interview: Jason Brewer of the Explorers Club

2011-10-18T21:01:00.001-07:00

The Explorers Club is one of my favorite bands. I have wanted to interview them for years and I finally had the chance!

The Explorers Club are a pop band that sound a lot like the Beach Boys with perfectly in pitch vocal harmonies and unbelievably catchy hooks in all of their songs. They released their debut album "Freedom Wind" on the Dead Oceans label in 2008 and since then I have been so incredibly anxious for new music from the guys. Thankfully NEXT WEEK the Explorers Club will be returning with new music in the form of three exclusive "suites" of music that will be available through Amazon.com beginning next TUESDAY, October 25th when the "California Suite" will become available. Keep checking explorersclubmusic.com for more information!

I am so excited for these suites! I watched the promotional video below and it will feature a cover of the Burt Bacharach song "Walk On By" (also covered by the Beach Boys in 1968), the song Hitchin' A Ride as well as two "under construction" mixes of songs from their soon to-be-released new album "Grand Hotel" that will be available on Rock Ridge Music.

Jason Brewer is the principle song writer for the Explorers Club. He is the Brian Wilson of the band. I admire him a heck of a lot. He reminds me of Brian Wilson in a lot of ways; teaching his band members the vocal harmonies and meticulously rehearsing each part over and over again, giving suggestions to make the sound just the way he hears it in his head. I imagine him coming into band rehearsals and recording sessions with brand new songs in his hands anxious to show them off to the guys.

I have probably listened to the Explorers Club's 6 song EP and their debut full-length "Freedom Wind" a million times. I seriously spin the Explorers Club as often as the Beach Boys (and that is saying a lot). I don't think the Explorers Club are copy cats, I think they are pop fanatics, just like me and I think to label them as anything but fantastic is a poor judgment call.

I love the Explorers Club and I am absolutely giddy to share this interview with Jason Brewer!

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1. When and where did the Explorers Club form?

Jason: We formed in 2005 in Charleston, SC in Dave Ellis' (one of the band's singers and multi-instrumentalists) backyard.

2. Are you [Jason] the only song writer in the band?

Jason: I am the only songwriter in the band, but I collaborate with Troy Stains and Mike Williamson - two songwriter friends of mine.

3. Besides the Beach Boys and the Beatles, who are some other big influences for the Explorers Club?

Jason: Herb Alpert, Neil Diamond, The Bee Gees, Burt Bacharach, CSNY, Andy Williams, The Grass Roots, The Turtles, The Zombies, Dan Penn, Joe South, ABBA, Frankie Valli, Bob Crewe, Roger Nichols, Paul Williams, Jimmy Webb, Glen Campbell, Booker T and the MGs... too many to name!

4. Your self titled, 6 song demo cd, where was it recorded and who mixed and mastered it?

Jason: It was recorded in too many places to name - a lot of it was done with my friend Troy Stains in Atlanta, GA. We mixed it ourselves. It was most likely mastered by Kevin Crothers in Charleston. That was WAY TOO LONG AGO.

5. What was the process like of getting signed to Dead Oceans and recording Freedom Wind?

Jason: They saw us play at SXSW in 2007 and signed us on the spot. We spent that summer making our record with Matt Goldman in Atlanta, GA. We really explored vocal harmonies and sound combinations to get that classic sound down just right.

6. What praise have you received that meant the very most to you so far (for example, if Brian Wilson told me he liked my music, I would cry)?

Jason: I think Brian [Wilson] calling me was real special. I also felt like our review in UNCUT magazine by Bud Scoppa was a career highlight so far. Singing with Darian and Nelson from Brian's band at the Troubadour in LA was very special.

7. What makes your new CD "Grand Hotel" that is about to be released different from "Freedom Wind"?

Jason: It is the REAL Explorers Club. It is our own sound. It is harmonies, classic pop sounds, lighthearted spirit and most remarkably - it's own VERY unique sound that is new and classic all at once. It is a musical vacation.

8. Are you going to buy the Smile Sessions by the Beach Boys when it released in November?

Jason: I plan to camp by my mailbox from now until it is delivered.

9. What are you planning to do after your next album is out? Tour? Record more? Take a break?

Jason: We will play shows and hopefully make a new record REALLY fast to follow it up. I already have two concepts half written for two more albums... get ready!
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Listen to this tasty groove:
Do You Love Me? by expclub

and visit their website explorersclubmusic.com

Paul Starling

2011-09-14T22:23:00.001-07:00

When someone becomes a song writer, it is almost criminal not to use your god given abilities to attract women by writing great love songs. Sunshine pop enthusiasts Paul "The Darling" Starling (they are a band, not a person) have released 3 albums in quick succession the past few years and are catching the attention of my heart. All of their albums are filled with incredible pop songs and their latest single "All Of My Heart" is just so great that I had to write about it as soon as I knew the right words to say.

I'm just going to quote the chorus of the song "We'll be happy like Brian Wilson said/and I would give her all of my heart/and i would make her see we'll never part/and i would give her all of my heart yes i would/and i would make her see shes the only one for me/and i would show her now that ill never leave/and i would give her all of my heart yes i would". Fantastic. I wish I had wrote it.

The song writer and singer for the band, Brian Bringelson, has a great voice and a smooth vibrato and spends a lot of time doing backing vocals on this track. The 60s style classy reverb and shaking tambourine are evocative of 70s soft rock - in a good way. All the stars have aligned and I am happy to discover another great song writer and pop band from Southern California. Big congratulations to Paul Starling for having their single released on Side B Music, which is owned by my pal Jerry Boyd. Jerry has great taste and I really respect him for doing things the old fashioned way (releasing music that is actually good). I adore this song and give huge credit to Brian Bringelson and the rest of Paul Starling for creating such a gem.

You can download the song on Itunes! =]

All Of My Heart - Paul Starling by SideBMusic

An Open Letter To Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk

2011-09-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

Girl Talk is an extraordinarily popular electronic group that takes samples of other people's music to create new songs. While Girl Talk is massively popular and the group's principal song organizer (I don't dare say song writer) Gregg Gillis has received a lot of publicity, both negative and positive.

I have lots of negative things to say. First off, I care about the artists that you sample from (The Beach Boys, The Emotions, Hall and Oates, Chicago, Paul McCartney, George Michael and hundreds of others). By not paying these people, who essentially wrote your music and made you successful, you are robbing and insulting every artist you have ever sampled from. They are real musicians, who crafted real songs and reached into their souls to share something with us. You are not doing that.

You are basically the same as a painter who cuts up masterpieces (like the Mona Lisa, the Scream and the Warhol Marilyn Monroe print) then tapes them to a canvas and calls it your own. It isn't yours. You just cut it up. Anyone can do that. The worst part is, now if some other kid cuts up pop songs and tries to share that music, people will label him as a Girl Talk poseur (which is like saying one tribute band is ripping off another tribute band).

I get it. People like your music, but how long will hipster kids be able to stand the same schtick?

Without Her

2011-08-15T17:21:00.001-07:00

I have always liked Harry Nilsson, so here is a cover of one of my favorite Nilsson songs.

Micro Song Construction

2011-08-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

One of the goals of this blog is for me to interview musicians that I love. My heroes. One of them is Nate Reinauer, song writer and singer for the band Sweet Diss and the Comebacks. This is the second time I've written about Nate and his band.

He recently told me about a new song writing technique that we have deemed "Micro Song Construction". You can read a transcript of Nate talking about it below.

[Nathan Reinauer]
For the past 3 or so years I have been recording song ideas into my voice recorder on my phone, whenever I get one. So by now I have like thousands and thousands of little song ideas. Well, about two months ago I dumped ALL of them onto my computer and listened to every single one, deleting the stupid ones, and renamed them with their tempo at the beginning of the name. It took like two weeks to finish.

So now whenever I am recording, I just pick a tempo, and there are usually like 40 song ideas around that same tempo, and it makes it way easier to combine song ideas into one full song; like three years worth of different ideas all coming together. so for the last few songs I've been recording, I've been using my favorite song ideas and just using ones that have the same tempo and it makes it way easier to get lots of great melodies in one song, but it's a lot of work to go through and catalog them all like that..

[Me]
What do you call this technique?

[Nathan Reinauer]
Um... I don't know! I never thought about naming it.

[Me]
Micro song construction?

[Nathan Reinauer]
that works!

[Me]
Give me some more details. What was the first song you wrote using the micro song construction technique?

[Nathan Reinauer]
Mia Moore! that opening ukulele riff was one song idea I've had for like a year and the verses were something I'd written in Seattle, while the chorus was from like 2 years ago. They were all sitting next to each other in the folder because they had the same tempo so I just stuck 'em together!

Obviously it takes a little more thought than that... I have to sort of audition lots of different ideas that have the same tempo, and change keys and stuff, but it's not too hard!

[Me]
what about the other 3 song you just released? Were they all written in one batch, or were they multiple ideas put together?

[Nathan Reinauer]
All four of the songs were made up of different song ideas I've had for the last 3 or 4 years. I tend to use ones that are more recent more often, because for some reason I like those better, but there's always a big selection

[Me]
Do you think you are going to keep writing songs this way for a while?

[Nathan Reinauer]
I think so! Before, it used to pain me to record my song ideas in my phone because I knew they'd just sit there forever and be forgotten, lost in the shuffle, but if you name them and order them by tempo it gives them all an equal shot to be used
and you rediscover them.

that's a sampling of what I'm talking about
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Sweet Diss and the Comebacks just recently released 4 new fantastic songs on their facebook page.

Maybe Someday by Sweet Diss

Cherry Park by Sweet Diss

Never Stop Wooing You by Sweet Diss

Mia Moore by Sweet Diss

Electric Orchestra - Out Of The Blue

2011-08-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

I want to take a minute to write about how much I appreciate Electric Light Orchestra and Jeff Lynne. This post is specifically about their 1977 double album Out Of The Blue. By the time this record came out ELO were already superstars all over the world. They had had a string of hits that quickly had them playing on radio stations everywhere; hits like "Evil Woman", "Can't Get It Out Of My Head", "Fire On High" and so many others raised the anticipation level for Out Of The Blue practically through the roof.

By this point Jeff Lynne was so adored that the individual members of the Beatles were all calling him to ask him to produce their records, even going as far as to say that "If the Beatles had not broken up they would have gone on to sound just like ELO". That's some crazy stuff. Fortunately Jeff Lynne delivered the goods in a huge way.

According to wikipedia, "The album had 4,000,000 pre-ordered copies and quickly went multi-Platinum upon release. Out of the Blue spawned five hit singles in different countries, and was ELO's most commercially successful studio album."

Every song on this album is a masterpiece. The production is incredible, the lyrics are brilliant, the harmony vocals are impressive, the string parts are all great and the effects on songs like Standin' In The Rain, Turn To Stone, Night In The City and Sweet Talkin' Woman were all state of the art at the time of this album's release. Basically, this album was the hottest thing on the shelves when it was released and anyone who owns this record can still be proud to display it at the very front of their collection - for quick reaching.

My favorite moments on this record are: The bass vocals on the song It's Over (try singing them!), the "she's gone so long, what can I do?" section in Sweet Talkin' Woman, the "24/7 just left funk gate 11" section in Night In The City, The tap dancing break in Jungle, the build up of Standin' In The Rain (this song is way too intense! it needs some slamming power chords), the long, dramatic, dragged out outro of Mr. Blue Sky and Wild West Hero's A Cappella section! (I know some pretty serious guys who can weep at this song).

FOUND: Rocketship show from 1996

2011-07-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

Someone uploaded a classic live concert of one of my favorite bands ever.

Rocketship are legends in the Southern California indie pop scene and have inspired bands all over the world since the release of their first EP in 1994. Rocketship is also one of the most difficult bands to get a hold of if you want to interview them or book them for a show. Rocketship's lead singer and song writer, Dustin Reske, is slow when answering emails, (I asked him to do an interview in 2008 and haven't heard from him since he said yes all those years ago) but, I found him again recently and asked him to do another interview with me and this time he agreed, FOR REAL! So expect an interview with pop genius Dustin Reske in the coming weeks.

Here is video of Rocketship performing live in 1996 in Detroit, MI.

Naomi & Me

Rocketship with Rose Melburg performing The Love We Could Have Had

Hey Hey Girl

I Love You Like The Way That I Used To Do

Bonus: Rocketship performing Kisses Are Promises at a different show

A double bonus cover of I Love You Like The Way That I Used To Do by the asian band Caucus

The Glasses - Love Is Queer Reivew

2011-07-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

The Glasses new album, Love Is Queer, is probably the most comforting album I have heard this year. It feels like a security blanket. There is not one tone or hint of malice or anger in this recording, which is really uplifting to the spirit. The Glasses are right where we left them in 2009 when they released "Story Problems" (and played an awesome show with my band in New Hampshire!) with boy and girl vocals by singers Will Wagler and Becky (who i believe is some sort of superintendant) accompanied by jangly guitars and fast drums. That is pretty much this band's trademark and they do it better than anyone else.

There is a strong hint of 80s new wave in this album and its no wonder considering the band's principal song writer, Will Wagler, grew up during that crucial decade. This album, whether intentionally or not, is reminiscant of hits by bands like the Go Gos, Culture Club and Hall and Oates. I am not saying that is a bad thing, in fact, it makes me like the album a lot more.

There is a sense of urgency in the songs on this album with limited instrumentation and no studio tricks. You won't hear any auto tune or 80 piece orchestras on this record, just drums, guitar, bass, the occasional keyboard and boy girl vocal trade offs. I will always love DIY albums and this is one of the best I have ever heard.

Stand out tracks on this album include One Late Night, which is very nice, starting out with a keyboard synth sound holding one note like a church organ while Will and Becky sing a lullaby-like melody until a synthesized drum beat comes in to supply some extra energy to the song. Another great track is Things Left Behind In Dreams. Again the 80s influence is strong with the synthesizer, electronic drums and memorable lead guitar riff. The hook in this song is outrageous and the bass line is pretty adventurous too. One final song I can't stop spinning is Your Hate Is Adorable. It reminds me of one of my favorite classic indie pop bands called Rocketship.

"Confused Hair" from The Glasses on Vimeo.

The Glasses have released another album full of great pop songs and it is even better than their last album (which I didn't believe would be possible). They have experimented more on this record and the result is a more progressive and interesting album with the same catchyness that makes them great. I hope their next album continues in the same direction, but gets even more in touch with their (80s) musical inspirations.

Micah Kesselring

2011-06-28T22:43:00.000-07:00

One of my Beach Boys buddies has created a fantastic song called "Lovely Little Things". It just came out and it is already an instant pop standard.

John Davis Interview (Part 2)

2011-03-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

I finished part 2 of my interview with disco legend John "The Monster" Davis today and I am so excited to post this! I want to thank John Davis again for being an all around great guy and for getting back to me so quickly!

5. How did you team up with guys like Bobby Eli, "Sugarbear" Foreman and Charles Collins and how did you meet the Sweethearts of Sigma, Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson and Yvette Benton?

Being in Philadelphia, one could not exist without acknowledging these musical giants in my back yard. The first time I worked with the "rhythm section" (Bobby Eli, Sugarbear and Charles Collins) was on "Be Thankful For What You Got" and it was so successful that we became not only colleagues, but good friends as well! I always was, and will always be thankful for the years we spent together.

After that, I recorded "I Just Can't Say Goodbye" with the Philly Devotions, and "Midnight Love Affair" with Carol Douglas. I believe this is where Harry Chipetz, the general manager of Sigma Sound Studio started calling me "Monster". We never knew how much fun I would have with that name.

The first time I worked with the Sweethearts was on Night and Day with the Monster Orchestra. I'll never forget how beautiful they were and the sound was like cream in my coffee. It was truly an honor to work with them. I also have to credit Tom Moulton for giving me such new perspectives on mixing and just plain listening. It was always a pleasure working with Tom.

6. What was the experience of getting signed to Sam Records and Columbia Records like?

Sam Weiss (the owner of Sam Records) and I had a great relationship. I always felt like a son with Sam. When we went to Columbia, it seemed to change things between us. It felt more serious and frankly, some of the fun went out of it for me. The idea of having a little more control over my product meant more to me than being with a big label like Columbia. Unfortunately, this happened in 1978 when things were starting to slow down, and I was feeling a bit lost at the new label.I really thought I had a smash with Love Magic, but we never got enough radio support to get it through the clubs and onto radio. It was a big disappointment for me. But then, I would have to say we sold more records than ever with CBS so I guess it was a double edged sword.

7. You had a creative frenzy from 1976 - 1981 releasing 5 records; Night & Day, Up Jumped The Devil, Aint That Enough For You, The Monster Orchestra Strikes Again! and a split called Hangin' Out with a band called La Pregunta in 1981. What was the experience like of producing, writing and promoting these albums?

Those years, from 1974 - 1984 were the most fun years of my life. When I signed with Sam Weiss it opened a path for me to be in total control of my product. Writing, arranging, playing and producing with the best musicians and singers in the world - who could ask for more? I remember everyday, getting up and looking forward with joy to the day ahead. I knew I would be doing what I love with the people I loved and respected the most. After the Night and Day album, Sam and I felt we should do something original so we wouldn't become predictable. This is where I got my first opportunity to "go crazy". He basically said to go where you want and get him a hit. The first thought I had was "Up Jumped The Devil". It became a huge dance hit and opened the door for The Monster Orchestra to become more original and innovative. That was the really fun part!

8. What led you to stop making records after 1981's Hangin' Out and switch to making music for shows like Dynasty and Beverly Hills 90210?

I'm not sure whether I stopped making records, or people stopped calling, but in 1980, I decided to take a trip to LA and visit my pal Bob Reno from Midland records. He had just moved there and asked me if I would like to try my hand at writing for TV shows. I just had twin daughters and felt I better make this move now, because the future of the record biz seemed to be getting shaky. I got there and met with Mark Snow, a composer of countless TV shows. He got me started by working with him on Hart to Hart. After that, I continued to work for Aaron Spelling for 20 years. I did TV show like Beverly Hill, 90210, Melrose Place, Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Walker, Texas Ranger, Hotel and many, many others.

9. Do you have any musical plans for the future like releasing a greatest hits package or a new album?

I have no current plans for future projects, but I'm available! (LOL) As far as a greatest hits album, you would have to talk to Mike Weiss at Nervous Records. He controls the master tapes. I'm sure if there was enough interest, he would release one.

John Davis Interview (Part 1)

2011-02-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I posted an entry looking for John E. Davis of the disco group John Davis and the Monster Orchestra and I found him on facebook! He has agreed to do an interview with me and here is the first half of it!

Let me tell you a little bit more about John Davis! He started out writing music in college and then later went on to become a band leader and composer while he was in the Army. In the 1970s and 1980s he produced, arranged and worked with some of the biggest names in the music business including Bobby Eli (from MFSB), Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Yvette Benton (The Sweethearts of Sigma), William DeVaughn, Arthur Prysock, The Intruders, Ricky Nelson, Bootsy Collins (of Parliament), Rhonda Heath, The Salsoul Orchestra, Silver Convention, Carol Douglas, Charo, Donna Summer and more. He also released 5 of his own albums under the name John Davis and The Monster Orchestra between 1976 and 1981. In the 1980s and 90s John started working as a composer for television and made music for the shows Dynasty, The Colbys, MacGyver, TJ Hooker, Mission: Impossible the series and Beverly Hills 90210 (the new and old version).

Today John is living in Ohio with his wife and has 3 daughters and recently became a grandfather! Here is the first part of my interview with John Davis!

1. Where were you born and what were your parents names?

I was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1947. I was an identical twin to my brother, Joe Davis. He went on to become one of the best trumpet players in the business and enjoyed a great career as a studio musician and many tours and live shows. My parents, John and Luciene Davis, were just regular folks who worked in Philly - but nowhere near the music business. My Dad worked for the board of Education and my mother worked at our local bank.

2. Did you have a musical home when you were growing up and did you learn any instruments at an early age?

While growing up, my Dad, in particular, was a huge fan of the big band era and always had big band music playing in the house. When I was 9 years old I got a plastic clarinet for Christmas. I loved playing that silly thing until next year I got a real clarinet to play in the school band. Not having a lot of extra money, I studied with a teacher at school until I got to Junior High School where I began to show some talent on this instrument. I can still remember sitting on the floor and listening to Glen Millers band and thinking how wonderful it would be to be able to write stuff like that.

3. Did you have any high schools bands or projects before the Monster Orchestra? What was the first record you ever worked on?

When I got to high school, I had become pretty good on clarinet and had begun playing the sax in the jazz band at school. My "reputation" had grown to the point where I was invited to join the US Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, MD when I graduated from high school. It was here that I actually began to write for a band. I had access to a jazz band, concert band and a marching band. I was writing for everything because I could have them play it back and actually hear what certain instrumental combinations would sound like. After writing a few things for the band there, I submitted one song to a publisher, and it was published for high school bands. I remember it was called "Nightfall".

4. Who were your biggest influences, musically and otherwise when you first started writing music?

At that time I was pretty well influenced by the big band sound and classical music. Then, I remember hearing a record on the radio that just totally blew me away - it was MacArthur Park - the Richard Harris version. I had never thought about combining the pop sound with an orchestra. It was such an exciting time for me that I just began hearing and studying writers like Bacharach and Davis, Jimmy Webb, Ashford and Simpson and many more. After getting out of the service, I started work for a company in Philly. It was there that I was sent to the studio to produce an artist named William DeVaughn. I wasn't very experienced in the studio, but managed to come out with "Be Thankful For What You Got" which became a #1 million seller in 1974. Of course, this opened the doors for me to start getting other projects on my own.

Part 2 is coming soon!

The Ocean Tango

2010-12-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

I want to recommend that everyone listens to The Ocean Tango's album at http://oceantango.bandcamp.com/album/the-ocean-tango. It's another pop album that I don't think anyone should miss out on.

More updates coming very soon!

- E

John E. Davis (and the Monster Orchestra) - INTERVIEW REQUEST PLEASE

2010-10-08T17:21:00.001-07:00

I want to please ask that John E. Davis; who wrote all of the songs for John Davis and the Monster Orchestra in the 1970s and 1980s and who wrote the theme song to Beverly Hills 90210 and whose publishing company is called "MONSTEROUS MUSIC", please email me!!

I am a super fan and I can't find any information about you on the internet. I want to change that and interview you. My email address is ericwarncke@gmail.com.

And If anyone else knows the whereabouts of John (The Monster) Davis please email me.

- Eric W.

Emmett and Mary - S/T

2010-07-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

Emmett and Mary is a very large band from Johnstown, Pennsylvania that plays indie folk music. They have been working on their debut album, S/T, for quite some time and I have been listening to an advance copy for a while and thought I needed to review it.

The band is relatively new and is led by Brandon Locher and Christopher S. Bell along with members of dozens of other bands from their label, My Idea Of Fun. Just for fun, I'll show the list of people who performed on the album and what they did:

Brandon Locher (Emmett Karson): Story, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Drums, Hammond B-3, Omnichord, Micro Korg Synthesizer, Harmonica, Percussion, Piano, Field-Recordings, Sequencing and Sampling, Digital Editing and Audio Manipulation
Christopher S. Bell (Linus Mansfield): Story, Vocals, Sequencing and Sampling
Rod Fisher (Lee Fisher): Vocals
Amanda Ross (Josephine March): Vocals
PK Harmon (Ken Lugar): Vocals
Laura McAllister (Mary Lugar): Vocals
Mike Miller (The Ghost of Henry Vaghn): Accordion, Vocals
Matt Miller (Zeke Morgan): Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Percussion, Banjo, Screams
Dane Adelman (Peter Watts): Vocals, Timpani, Upright Bass
Cory Savit (Andrew Strayer): Vocals, Vibraphone, Suzuki Melodion M-36, Timpani, Upright Bass, and Banjo
Olivia Locher (Annette Karson): Vocals
Kathleen Boyle (Casey Whipkey): Vocals
Sean Jackson (Mitchell Graft): Vocals
Chris Kupchella (Greg Hood): Sitar, Electric Guitar, Ebow, Glockenspiel, Vocals
Casey Hawk (The Ghost of Joan Foster): Vocals
Ryan Brisini (Leonard Kenny): Gang Vocals
Renee Saylor (Leila Bennett): Vocals
Kate Davis (Paige Hughes): Clarinet, Vocals
Joe Messina (Jack Vargas):: Boss. Dr. Groove DR-202 Drum Machine.
John Livingston (Chas Weller): Piano
John Thorell (DJ Gordon): Cello and Viola
Dave DeStifano (Dalton Applebee): Congas and Bongos
Huckleberry Sawyer (Doyle Finely): Spaghetti Western Guitar, Drums, and Synthesizers
Eli Gantos (Kevin Mansfield): Congas
Bud Jackson (Lucas Mills): Congas and Bongos
Matt Wagner (Benji Tate): Trumpet
Annie Rummel (Leann Kenny): Flute
Ben Sackmar (Jim Fisher): Drums
Berry Bonds (Clay): Doo-Wop Vocals, Trumpet
Rachel Adams (Tara Mansfield): Glockenspiel
Cody Wallat (Charlie Nolan): Drums

I'm curious how long it took to record this album, because I am certain that all of those people didn't fit in Brandon Locher's bedroom at once.

As for the album itself, it is definitely not for everyone. It is a Lo-fi production, which means you will hear some static in the recording and sometimes won't be able to tell what the singers are saying. But that style of music is something I really enjoy.

In fact, S/T is a lot like the Bicycles album, Oh No, It's Love, in that its song writers' vision was completed without the help of any label or producer. There's a respect that is deserved when you complete something without anyone's help and that is exactly what is going on with this release. The originality of the album and love trump any complaints one could have about its lo-fi sound.

Tragically, Emmett and Mary may never be huge stars or receive any radio play, but they have still created an folk album as good as Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues. You can listen to the whole album below on their last.fm before it becomes available in September or visit their website for more information.

Listen to Emmett and Mary's S/T on Last.fm
Album information and website

Mister Fusty Releases Connect EP for Charity

2010-06-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Connect EP by Mister Fusty

Today one of my favorite pop artists Mister Fusty (the pseudonym of musician Rob Gibson from Whitley Bay, England) is releasing their latest 5 track EP. I got to have a listen to the album ahead of time and I've been anxiously waiting until today to release this review. Not only are the songs great, but the EP can be purchased for $5 from his Soundcloud page (which can be found at the bottom of this article) and all sales of the EP will go to two charities, Cancer Research UK and The World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Rob explains, "My wife ran the Race For Life last year, and hopes to do it again this year and I thought it would be a nice idea to get people who listen to Mister Fusty to sponsor her by way of this EP. For non-UK Fusty listeners I decided to give the other half of the money to an international charity as well, the World Society for the Protection of Animals. My musical exploits are a hobby and labour of love really, so any money from sales that come my way I'm happy to pass them on to a good cause."

Mister Fusty considers Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach and The Beatles as influences for his sound and this is evident in his compositions and production techniques, but he also uses the computer to achieve some of the effects used by newer artists like Stereolab, The High Llamas and Air. In other words, it's a mixing pot of every great artist of the last century.

With such a great list of influences its no wonder that Mister Fusty's 5th release oozes such class. Each song on the EP reveals Rob Gibson's mastery in his home studio. Each song sounds fantastic and is mixed perfectly. I know that Mister Fusty's last album, Over The Rocky Mountains, was mastered by Jimmy Ether, but there is no indication that anyone other than Rob Gibson worked on this album and it sounds fantastic!

Each track relies heavily on electronic and synthetic instruments for the backing tracks, (with the exception of Peacock Teardrop, which features some great guitar playing) and has Rob himnself singing lead on every track (except Uptown Connection), often doubling his voice to make great vocal harmonies like on Your Stupid Plan. He also applied a considerable amount of reverb, which is completely in fashion right now, but it certainly isn't overdone, in fact, the reverb on this album sounds really great and helps the synth instruments to sound more life-like.

Mister Fusty's Connect EP is another instant classic; the best album I've heard since EXPO's She Sells Seashells. But come to find out, Mister Fusty and EXPO are colleagues! I recommend that any fan of pop music go buy Mister Fusty's Connect EP now and help fight cancer, animal abuse and bad music. It's really a win, win, win!

Listen/Buy on Bandcamp.com
Myspace
Website

The Man From Another Place's First Video

2010-06-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

The greatest thing that I listened to last year was The Loneliest Cowboy EP, the debut release from The Man From Another Place; brain-child of Scottish composer Daniel Hirst. I really love The Loneliest Cowboy EP so much that I listen to it for inspiration when it comes time for me to start recording my own music. It really is like every band that I love combined into one simple package. It has the compositional skill of a Heavy Blinkers song with the catchiness of a Beach Boys tune, without any vocals, which, in my opinion leaves room for you to ponder on the meaning of the songs with just your own imagination as reference.

The video stars Ron Smith and Abbra Smallwood and is directed by Justin Hannah, a director from Lexington, KY. The description of the video reads "Alone in the darkness, a man is haunted by a memory, warm, shimmering and beautiful". I couldn't agree more, so I am happy to share his first of what I know will be several, music videos. =]

myspace | website

EXPO - She Sells Seashells

2010-05-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

For the past week I have been binge listening to a record that brings some long-awaited new life into a genre of music that is probably too difficult for most musicians to ever want to take on. I'm referring to the genre called "Orchestral Pop". EXPO has made an album worthy of comparison to some of the greatest pop albums of the last decade (or maybe 4 decades). I'm telling you, this album compares to some of the best albums by Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas or Jason MacIsaac and The Heavy Blinkers.

There is a certain beauty and skill needed to create a perfect pop song, and EXPO's chief song writer John Lane proves that he has the chops time and time again to create incredible songs throughout the 13 tracks on the album. And what great songs they are! I was so happy to hear the huge variety of instruments used on this album and the great percussion sounds too. It's so impressive to hear the difficult rhythm patterns in Good Good News and Out of The Millions.

Maybe the only real weakness to the album is the lack of any one clear lead singer or set of singers. Almost every track has a different singer or group of singers who collaborated with John Lane for the album which makes me think either John has no confidence in his own voice, or maybe he really is just good enough to know that his voice doesn't fit. Luckily though, he chose some of the best singers he could to feature on the album - my favorite being Christian Lipski who sang on the song Katy Why (the album's first single track and a fantastic pop song).

Despite the varied singing on the album it is clear that each song belongs together and each track flows together nicely as well. The production value of the album is also top notch. When making an orchestral pop album so many things can go wrong, but She Sells Seashells not only does everything right, it does everything perfectly. For an instant classic, feel free to check out She Sells Seashells right here:

http://expo.bandcamp.com/

And visit their myspace here:

http://www.myspace.com/expoh

NEW HEAVY BLINKERS SONG

2009-12-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Heavy Blinkers return with a Christmas song from their highly anticipated new album "HEALTH".

"Silence Your Drum" is the new Christmas song from The Heavy Blinkers and the first glimpse at their forthcoming double album, Health. The song is the story of the fabled little drummer boy, as told through the perspective of Joseph & Mary. The song features lead vocals from Jenn Grant, backed by the group's trademark orchestral arrangements.

Recently named one of "The Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard' by Spin magazine (July 2009), The Heavy Blinkers long awaited 5th album, Health, includes contributions from renowned artists such as Sondre Lerche (Astralwerks) and Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas (Drag City). When will this album be released?!

MP3: "Silence Your Drum" from HEALTH:
http://www.pigeonrow.com/HeavyBlinkersSilenceYourDrum.mp3

Video for "Silence Your Drum":

I'm convinced that this is not really a Christmas song at all. It's more like asking the question "What if the Little Drummer Boy had annoyed Jesus and his parents instead of making them joyful with his snare?" It seems that after traveling through the night with his drum our drummer boy just can't ever do enough for the baby he is trying to impress. It seems The Heavy Blinkers don't like to look at the bright side of the situations they sing about, even Christmas.

However, the story Jason MacIsaac invents in the song is very poetic and fully thought out. I'd also like to mention how beautifully the Heavy Blinkers new vocalist Jenn Grant is (I'm not quite sure if she is their full time lead singer yet, but when you sing lead on more than 3 songs you might as well be the lead singer). But it is the production of this single that makes it shine as bright as it does! It just sounds amazing; the balance between the vocals and instruments of the music is as precise as a Mozart Symphony (and perhaps just as big).

It goes without saying that the music in this song is more spectacular than most other songs that try to pass themselves off as Christmas singles. The Heavy Blinkers have put together something great this Holiday season that will regrettably get far less listens than it deserves. I'm amazed to believe that The Heavy Blinkers still keep getting better, even after the loss of founding members Andrew Watt and Ruth Minnikin.

It's clear that Jason MacIsaac is what made the Heavy Blinkers so wonderful on their first 4 albums, and from the looks of things, he will continue to lead his Heavy Blinkers until they are bigger than even Christmas itself.

Silence Your Drum is a bit unexpected, but a very exciting peak into what could be the best album of 2010, The Heavy Blinkers' "HEALTH".

myspace | label

Album Review: Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

2009-12-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

I want to give you an introduction to the next few entries, just so you can get a full understanding of what I'm doing. After doing a lot of album reviews and after getting quite a few requests for me to listen and review new releases from their labels, I've become backed up with albums to listen to and review.

The truth is, it's tough to write down how you are feeling at the computer, so I had to do something else. One notebook, iPod (plus headphones), and pen later, all I needed was time.

So now at work, I'm going to write in my notebook (then arduously type it out later), and explain how I feel, paper-and-pen, honestly about these albums. I'm going to write a review of each track individually, and then a summary of what I thought about the album as a whole. I want to really be fair.

So grab a listen to each album on last.fm and read on.

CAMERA OBSCURA - MY MAUDLIN CAREER

1. French Navy - This song is totally pop. I really like the string melodies in the middle of the song. The repeating introduction motif is really powerful too. Very good singing as well; it's no wonder it's a hit.

2. Sweetest Thing - This is probably my favorite song on this album. The strings are just totally appropriate, and that chorus! It's a totally joyous chorus. I would trade my mother to have written that.

3. You Told A Lie - The A Cappella beginning of this song reveals the massive amount of reverb used to mix this album. The pre-chorus used to mix this album is pretty interesting though. It's just a country shuffle mostly.

4. Away With Murder - A rather slow foxtrot with a pretty depressing lyrical focus. I do think the guitar licks and keyboard riff in the background of the mix are rather pleasant, but too mellow. Overall it's just too mellow.

5. Swans - I think this song is rather popular too. I know this is supposed to be a first listen, but this album came out a while ago. I kind of think the guitar/marimba riff in the beginning sounds childish. I can't get over that.

6. James - The band Rocketship released a song in 2003 called James, sung by a girl about a persistent unwanted lover named James. Coincidence? Both songs are endlessly monotonous ballads. I'm sick of ballads.

7. Careless Love - I love the beginning of the song with the strings and clarinet playing that descriptive melody together. The guitar and organ give nice counterpart in the verses.

8. My Maudlin Career - There's a nice piano riff in this song that I like to hear. The lyrics are pretty humorous and smooth too. Maybe this song is a little long and drawn out. This is a middle point for sure.

9. Forests and Sands - The reverb is huge. Everything sounds pretty far away. Overall, the song is sweet and floats by on it's own, but nothing seems to make this song stand out or startle me to write anything interesting.

10. Other Towns & Cities - One guitar, one voice. Three tons of reverb. I just don't know what else to say. It's just boring.

11. Honey In The Sun - All of a sudden, things are fast and happy again. But is it too little too late? I think so. The verses are guitar-focused with little variation, and the chorus is just a variation of the riff the saxophones plays in the very beginning of the song. Then they repeat it all over again. "I can't go for that." - Hall & Oates

OVERALL REVIEW

Camera Obscura as a band are doing better than ever. They have a very respectable 3 albums and a slew of EPs, and My Maudlin Career shows the lead singer, Tracyanne Campbell, taking bigger risks and leaving behind a lot of the cheer they seemed to have before.

happy songs sell records, but sad songs only sell beer. Fortunately Camera Obscura will sell more albums than a lot of bands this year, but listeners of My Maudlin Career may be purchasing a lot of beer too.

website | myspace

Bikeride - The Kiss

2009-08-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Kiss is the 5th album from Bikeride. Recorded inside lead singer Tony Carbone's home on a recording machine from the 1970's, The Kiss is Bikeride's very best album.

For starters Bikeride needs to be praised for their use of bizarre instruments and interesting song construction that isn't used nearly as much as it should. On the song Your Lips and You has Didgeridoo, Davul and everything they can to make it sound as Arabian as possible. Also, the song A Dancer's Feet Are Not So Neat has some of the very best pedal steel playing in a pop song ever, and it should, seeing as how Sheryl Crow's former pedal steel guitarist is who they chose to play on it.

Of course the album is filled with more pop hooks than you could imagine. Worth mentioning is the great vocal reprise and pedal steel riff at the end of the previously mentioned A Dancer's Feet Are Not So Neat. The bonus track Siamese Twins is also unbelievably catchy.

Also worth mentioning is the exceptional mixing. As I read on their blog "It was mastered in the same room and on the same equipment as Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, biggest seller of all time. Maybe some of it will rub off on The Kiss." It most definitely did. Every song just sounds really great. Good job to Kevin Bartley at Capitol Records.

The album has a few trouble spots in the middle where the songs just aren't as original or moving. I also never liked Bikeride's habit of putting several silent tracks of varying length to eventually reveal a secret track or two. Just don't do the silent tracks; no one listens to them or cares about them.

Sadly, Tony Carbone died last March and left behind a really gorgeous daughter and wife. The band hasn't updated their myspace or anything yet, but I think its safe to say the band won't be them same without Tony. Who knows what the future is for Bikeride, but as for The Kiss, it is one of the best pop albums of the new millennium, but slightly haunting how it echoes his absence.

Myspace | Label | Buy it

Update and reviews

2009-03-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hi there! It's been a long time since I've felt like blogging. For a few reasons, mostly being that I don't feel quite as passionate as I did before. The internet is a wonderful place where you can voice your opinions on just about anyone and you can probably find a group of people who will agree with you.

Another reason being that I am legitimately a pretty busy person. I make music myself and I am now making music for a television program on the PBS channel. I am a very big fan of Joe Raposo and this is a dream come true for me, so I try to put as much of my energy into my artistic endeavors as I can.

Finally, a few people have asked me why I never provide links to download music without paying for it. My first thought to that is that there are so many other music blogs out there that already do this, but I've always just cared more about journalism than piracy and I've cared more about music than uploading files online. (See my Beach Boys blog for evidence of this). Then, my second thought is that I am one of the few rather small blogs (not counting websites like pitchfork) that actually interview artists that I really love on the telephone. I spend days and sometimes weeks researching things and really gathering my thoughts to do my updates and interviews and I would hate to lose the respect that I think I earn from my favorite artists by insultingly sharing music that I have no permission to share after complimenting them by speaking to them.

I hope you will always want to get to know small artists better by reading about them, and then choose to support them if you really like them. Having said that, I hope I will be able to do a lot more interviews and reviews (which are the things that I care about the most) on my blog.

I'll start right now with some quick reviews on some of my favorite new albums.

The male member of this band, Johan Angergård, is also a member of one of my favorite Swedish bands, Acid House Kings and the girl at his side is Karolina Komstedt, from another beautiful band, Poprace. This supergroup of soft indiepop have released several albums together over the last 13 years, but their most recent album, The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming is their best to date. Slightly religious toned, the album is still gentle and beautiful. If you enjoy bands like the Submarines or Acid House Kings this is for you. (myspace)

The debut album from the Italian group Fitness Forever is nothing short of a masterpiece. The band is now signed to the brilliant Spanish label Elefant Records and rightfully so. Personal Train is loaded to the brim with strings, horns, bells and vocals that create a symphonic sound that even surpasses the best Beach Boys arrangements. The band's song writer Carlos Valderrama describes the band as his challenge to create pop perfection and it is extremely clear that he has created nothing but perfection with this beautiful album. (myspace)

This album came out a while ago, but I don't care because I still like it. The theme of this update is mostly extremely gentle orchestrated music and The Postmarks are just about the most beautiful band I know of today. Their singer Tim Yehezkely (yes, a woman) has the best female voice since Karen Carpenter passed away. This album just screams class, with jazzy arrangements and lush production it stands in a league its own. It is just impossible to explain why this album is so much better than all the others who attempt to copy their sound. The only way to know is to listen. Heart break never felt so good. (myspace)

The Very Most - Spring

2009-03-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite albums last year was The Very Most's second album, Congratulations forever (maybe you forgot about when I interviewed Jeremy Jensen, the band's lead singer and song writer?).

Well anyway, The Very Most are back in a big way, with a new EP released on Indiecator records. But please don't let those 2 letters "EP" make you think that this release is somehow less important than their full length last year. The nearly 14 minute EP is filled with all kinds of new sounds that show the promise for something that very few bands in this new millennium are showing - Growth.

Much in the same way that the Beatles were constantly evolving, The Very Most are expanding and experimenting in exciting new ways. In fact, every song on this EP has some form of strange percussion used. I'll just name a couple off the top of my head: Woodblocks, Vibraslaps, Scrapers, an army of Tambourines, Egg Shakers, and a lot of things I don't even know. The amount of percussion on "Spring" is really delightful and an extremely welcome addition.

However, all the experimentation in the world can never make a "bad" song "good". It should be mentioned that all the songs on the EP are extremely well written pop songs and fit very well together. The album is extremely enjoyable and pleasant and for the rest of my life I will associate this release with memories of spring. The band is actually making an EP for every season this year and I am confident that they will keep very true to this theme and do something that (as far as I know) no other band has done yet.

Probably the prettiest song on the EP is the third song "The Only Pretty Ring Time". The band sings an ode to the beauty of their home city Boise, Idaho and mentions how strange it is that their city is called the City of Trees. But I really just can't explain how great every voice on this song sounds. It really is wonderful.

Also, their label has commissioned a few remixes of some of the songs on the album. These remixes are also a blast and are all done so well. They make a very lovely companion to the EP and you can listen to the remixes for free on their label's website.

The Very Most are extremely committed to music and despite the speed that they release their records, they still put so much effort and joy into their work. "Spring" is the beginning of a new era for The Very Most and they have invited us to spend a year with them... A year?

I think I will be spending a lifetime with the Very Most.

MYSPACE | LABEL | BUY THE EP

I Found Love

2009-03-14T00:40:00.001-07:00

Below is a positively perfect cover of the song "I Found Love" originally performed by The Free Design on their 1968 album You Could Be Born Again. This cover was done by the English band Trembling Blue Stars on the tv show YO GABBA GABBA. Check out their myspace!

i found this here

The Glasses - Story Problems

2009-01-15T22:29:00.000-08:00

I just found this wonderful album from an artist named Will. Inside this disc are 10 perfectly crafted pop songs that makes me excited for West Coast indie pop again.

Story Problems is a beautiful album and its being offered for free on their website. I really suggest you take a listen to it and don't be afraid to fall in love with a new group.

http://www.story-problems.com/Home.html

The Heavy Blinkers - The Night And I Are Still So Young

2008-12-06T01:29:00.000-08:00

The Most Brilliant Pop Album since 1966's Pet Sounds.

The Man From Another Place - The Loneliest Cowboy EP

2008-11-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

In 1990 there existed a television drama called Twin Peaks. In that show was a character called The Man From Another Place. However, after the show's cancellation in 1992 many years have gone by, but that doesn't mean this obscure bit of television knowledge has gone completely forgotten.

Just recently a musician from Scotland has released his first EP, The Loneliest Cowboy, under the name The Man From Another Place.

What resides inside this 5 song, 16 minute EP is an exploration of the styles of some of the great pop composers of the 20th (and even 21st century). Clearly evident in TMFAP's music is the influence of Burt Bacharach and Brian Wilson in their prime. Not to say that the songs are not unique in their style, but TMFAP isn't afraid to show his appreciation for the classics.

He describes his songs as "Soundtrack Music To A Lost Film" and I think that is both a good explanation of the premise for the EP, but also a visual guide. The music really could be put to film, as the piano chords repeatedly belt out a melody in a relaxed 4/4 tempo, strings and horns play a melody over it creating complex sounds that are both beautiful and intriguing. The Loneliest Cowboy brings tons of ambition and a well needed new face to the world of orchestrated pop.

This EP is on par with all of the best pop albums I've ever heard (including SMiLE and The Night And I Are Still So Young). With such a great EP, I hope The Man From Another Place can release a full length album with this much enthusiasm and creativity.

I recommend this highly.

Myspace

The Lexingtons - Trouble

2008-09-02T15:36:00.001-07:00

Interview with Scott Schultz from Majestic

2008-08-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

For over a decade now one of my favorite bands has been an obscure indie pop outfit from Brea, California called Majestic. Leading the charge from the obscure shelflife records Majestic has released two albums to date and both are classics to those lucky enough to have them.

I was able to sit down with the band's lead singer Scott Schultz (pictured in the center). We talked a lot about the band and also about his latest creation, the Children's TV show Yo Gabba Gabba.

Listen to the whole conversation below!

Download

+ Check out Majestic's Myspace

Ancient Free Gardeners - Innards Out

2008-07-27T23:49:00.000-07:00

The Ancient Free Gardeners are a snappy indie quartet from Melbourne, Australia. They just released a single that you can download for free below. It's a very beautiful song and if you liked the band Calico below, you will also really love this song.

Download "Innards Out"

Myspace | Website

Review: Black Diamond by Calico

2008-06-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

Not many people know this, but I have always been a very big fan of ambient music. So when I was offered the chance to hear the new album from Salt Lake City's own Calico, I didn't waste any time delving into the CD.

At about 50 minutes long, all 8 songs are pretty long and (ranging from 2 to nearly 9 minutes) ultra mellow. Black Diamond is an exercise in alt folk pop with a great view for the cinematic side of song writing. Although there are vocals on 6 of the 8 songs, the album seems much more like an instrumental album as the whisper style vocals could be considered an instrument themselves.

As for the music itself...it's droney. It's very droney. I'm very thankful I've heard a lot of other music of the same type, because I'm sure anyone jumping into this CD without having any knowledge of the music could be a bit, well, confused. But to it's credit, the music on the album is beautiful. Each chord and rhythm fits perfectly with the atmosphere that the band paints and in addition to that the album is mixed just perfectly.

If you are going to listen to this album, make sure you have your headphones on. This is just one of those albums. It's a beautiful trip taken with music and a solid second release (we know how hard that 2nd album can be).

Calico will also be touring quite a bit in the next few months, so be sure to visit them if they come to your town.

myspace

Review: Modulations by Chewy Marble

2008-06-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

In 1995 Brian Kassan, then bassist for the band The Wondermints, decided to start his own group Chewy Marble. In the last 13 years Brian and his gang have released 2 albums, their debut self titled album in 1997 and their follow up, Bowl of Surreal in 2001. Now 7 years later their 3rd album, Modulations is upon us.

I have to admit, I have not heard their first 2 albums, so I was pretty much in the dark when I popped this one in. I was expecting something along the lines of the Wondermints style of orchestral pop songs with shining harmonies and polished production. I think it's pretty unfair to compare this CD to anything by The Wondermints because in actuality it is nothing like them. Not to say that it is completely original but the influences of the album are a little trickier to put a finger on.

The opening song, the band's single from the album "She Roxx" plays off as an ode to high school life and crushes on those tough girls we all remember. The pop/rock sound of the song is easily comparable to popular music of the early 90s (when bands like Weezer were just starting to enter the main stream) but doesn't seem quite as convincing as the track could be. Perhaps its the use of words like "Fox" to describe girls or spelling the words rocks as "Roxx". It feels corny.

But fortunately the album does save itself from this false start. The next track Don't Look At The Sun has a much better pop appeal and melody that can be sung along to. In fact, the album flows from this point rather smoothly with the dreamy song cross-hatched world and the summery relaxation that the song Somewhere Else offers.

The album is a very large melting pot of the pop, rock and classic rock genres, creating a sound that can be uniquely refreshing and incredibly interesting at some of the most unexpected times. It's very clear that Brian Kassan has devoted a great amount of energy into this album and at it's best moments Modulations rings with the glory of albums like Led Zeppelin IV and The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle.

The album ends strongly with the folky and heartwarming instrumental Moments which transitions into the ballad at the end of the album, Clutter. I think having listened this far into the album I really turned from a listener to a real fan; Chewy Marble can really write a pretty damn good song.

If you are in the mood for some great 70s classic rock revivalism with that 90s alternative edge, you should head to the link below and give a listen to Chewy Marble's new album, Modulations.

Myspace | Label

Interview: Jeremy Jensen of the Very Most

2008-06-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

I wrote about The Very Most and their new album Congratulations Forever a few days ago, but I really don't think that I explained enough how much I really like it. The second album from Boise, Idaho's Very Most is definitely a pop masterpiece and you should go to their myspace and buy it now.

Aside from that, I had a chance to talk to Jeremy Jensen (the band's lead singer and song writer) about the band and his new CD. You can hear our phone conversation below!

Download

Myspace | Website

The Very Most

2008-06-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been to Idaho?

I never have, but I hear good things about it. Lots of trees and lots of open space.

But I have one more reason to like it now. A band from Boise called the Very Most.

I just recently heard from them and listened to their latest CD and it is absolutely gorgeous. They remind me of The Magic Numbers with their boy - girl harmonies, but the arrangements of their songs are much more complex and dense.

Go ahead and take a listen to them (they have some mp3s on their site). Harmonies like these guys have only come so often!

Good Fight Fighting
Sod Off
Spilt, Spilt Milk

myspace | website

The Simple Carnival

2008-06-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been spending way too much time in the real world, working and recording music and generally not being online very much. And as good as that may sound, I feel slightly bad because there are a lot better things I could be doing rather than stocking things in a cooler. However, one of the great luxuries I have is to be able to listen to music while I do meaningless repetitive tasks.

The artist I've been spinning the most lately is The Simple Carnival. Coming from Pennsylvania, the Simple Carnival is a one man band led by a genuine pop virtuoso, Jeff Boller.

The Simple Carnival can be compared to bands like the High Llamas and the Heavy Blinkers (or any other orchestral pop band), but Jeff Boller tends to be on the more experimental side of pop, trying out ambient interludes and using more instruments than most musicians have even heard of.

With 3 releases already out and another on the way later this year, I got a chance to talk to Jeff a little bit about his music.

Eric: I love your first EP, Menlo Park. I wanted to know what inspired you to take such an orchestral pop approach (like the heavy blinkers)?

Jeff: Thank you for the kind words about that EP. Menlo Park was an experiment. Whether that experiment was a success depends on who you ask!

Here's how it came together. I was tired with how long songs were taking to write and record, so I looked at alternative methods of creating music, like Album-a-Day (http://crapart.spacebar.org/aad/). I thought it might be interesting to see what happened if I recorded whatever I was feeling like for a month. So I worked as fast as I could, with the goal of recording an hour's worth of material that would later be edited down into... something. I wasn't sure what.

What I learned when working on this particular project was that it takes more time for me to write acceptable lyrics than to write acceptable music. So when it came time to piece everything together, I dropped just about all of the songs with lyrics and made the EP mostly instrumental... which baffled everyone who had heard my previous, more accessible songs.

Menlo Park has a strange sort of mood and it captures exactly how I was feeling for those four weeks. But it's not the place to start if you've never listened to The Simple Carnival before.

Eric: Secondly, what kind of equipment did you use to record Menlo Park?

Jeff: There's a current gear list, which is pretty much the same thing I used on Menlo Park here:

http://www.simplecarnival.com/faq.php#instruments

For Menlo Park, I used Pro Tools as a giant 4-track, and mixed songs directly through a Mackie mixer immediately after I had recorded it. It's basically a set of very rough demos, where spontaneity was more important than getting a good sound.

On the Me and My Arrow EP (and the upcoming Girls Aliens Food album) spontaneity was still important, but I worked hard at writing the songs and making them sound good as I could make them.

Eric: For your second release, Sonic Rescue League 1, your sound changed a lot (even though I understand it was that way all along), so what made this release so different from the previous (or what made the first EP so different from this one), whichever is more applicable.

Jeff: A lot of the Sonic Rescue League Vol 1 tracks were recorded before Menlo Park, even though Sonic Rescue League came out after.

The reason is because, before I sold CDs/downloads/merchandise, I used to post individual tracks on my web site and get feedback. I wanted to make those old tracks available to anyone who was interested, but it didn't make sense to keep them online forever since I felt like I had moved on a bit. So those tracks became Sonic Rescue League. I'm not even sure what to call that release. Is it an EP? Is it an album? It's 45 minutes long, but it was never intended to be a cohesive album experience. It's basically a mix tape of four years of recordings.

Eric: You definitely can handle both orchestral pop and more simple Beatles styled pop songs, so which style do you like more, or get more satisfaction from?

Jeff: I like to listen to both. But as far as what I like to make, I currently like making music where the song is the focus, not just the production textures. I'm fascinated with the shapes of melodies, I'm fascinated by that intangible thing that happens when interesting music is combined with an interesting concept and well-crafted lyrics.

My goal is to provide something that makes other people's day a little more enjoyable. And it's easier to connect with people when the song is the focus of what you do. We as human beings seem to be hard wired to respond to hooks and melodies and things like that. A good number of us, anyway.

Eric: You made a video for the song Really Really Weird on your Me and My Arrow EP, what was it like making your own video?

Jeff: I could provide a long answer about this, but I already posted one on my blog:

http://songsandsonics.com/2008/05/03/if-all-you-have-is-a-hammer-everything-looks-like-a-cheap-music-video/

Long story short: I spent $7.25 in materials and put in an insane amount of work. If I ever do something like this again, I won't do it in the same way.

Eric: Finally, what kind of things can we expect from your upcoming full length, Girls, Aliens, Food?

Jeff: The Girls Aliens Food album (and the Me and My Arrow EP) is where I feel like I finally found my voice as an artist. Whereas on some of the earlier stuff I'm kind of throwing things against the wall to see what sticks, Girls Aliens Food has a definite idea of what it is and where it's going. It's a song-oriented album. The tracks flow in a specific sort of way. I'm singing quite a bit on it. There's a bunch of things to pick up with repeat listens.

I don't want to say too much else about the album, as people ought to form their own impressions when it comes out in October. But the response I've received so far from the handful of people who have heard it has been very exciting. I can't wait for everybody to hear it.

If you get a chance you should check out The Simple Carnival's website and myspace below.

Myspace | Website

Rocketship Discography Review

2008-05-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a review of every Rocketship release so far.

Hey Hey Girl EP (vinyl)
A1. Hey Hey Girl
A2. Naomi and Me
B1. People I Know

Recorded in November 1993 and released in early 1994, Rocketship's first release, the 7" Hey, Hey Girl EP was a land mark indie pop release. Modeling himself after ambient and noise pop groups of the day (such as Galaxie 500 and My Bloody Valentine) Dustin Reske was able to release 3 songs that took less than 10 minutes to listen to.

The EP explored with ambient interludes and used the organ as the main instrument to compose the music. He also included simple, but effective vocal harmonies between himself and 2 other female singers. My favorite song on the EP is Naomi and Me; I especially like the "Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh" choruses with the tambourine. It's a great indie pop release; a true classic.

Why Popstars Can't Dance (comp)
5. Your New Boyfriend
6. Like A Dream

After their first EP Rocketship were signed to Slumberland Records and appeared shortly after on the compilation album Why Popstars Can't Dance. Dustin Reske wrote 2 songs for the compilation and appeared as tracks 5 and 6. The songs themselves molded into each other via a nice ambient interlude, but both tracks sound extremely different. The first track "Your New Boyfriend" is a wonderful pop song with an amazing bass line telling the story of an ex-girlfriend who continues to torment the character of the song by riding bikes past his house with her new boyfriend and generally appearing happy without him while he suffers at this cruelty. I love the way this song is sung and the great backing vocals by the girls (who appeared in the previous EP).

The next song, Like A Dream, is much more ambient and droney with a repetitive chorus and more experimentation in sounds than ever before. It's not that its a very bad song, because it certainly isn't, but I do feel that this song is more of an experiment in sound and probably just a chord progression too good to do nothing with so he had to include it kind of deal. However, this song did mark a change in Rocketship's sound that was going to happen in the future.

Honey, I Need You EP (vinyl)
A1. Honey, I Need You
B1. She's Gonna Make Me Cry

Rocketship waited over a year to release their second 2 song EP. Recorded from June - August 1995 the Honey, I Need You EP is probably one of Rocketship's most underrated releases (especially 13 years later). Both songs took a turn for the dramatic with the mood of the songs suddenly about heart break, loneliness and betrayal. However, the music on this release got more creative in it's use of instruments and organs. The song She's Gonna Make Me Cry is also in 3/4 time.

This is my favorite Rocketship EP. I love the song She's Gonna Make Me Cry. It's probably one of the most perfect ballads ever recorded by anyone ever. If you can ever get a hold of this album (or just buy it online) you absolutely should. It's a lost jewel.

A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness (CD)
1. I Love You Like The Way That I Used To Do
2. Kisses Are Always Promises
3. Heather, Tell Me Why
4. Let's Go Away
5. I'm Lost Without You Here
6. Carrie Cooksey
7. We're Both Alone
8. Friendships And Love

All through 1995 Dustin Reske and the rest of Rocketship had been working hard at finishing their debut full length album, and when it was released in January 1996 what an album it was! A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness is an album of pure ambition chronicling it's creators emotions and sentimentality. It has as much devotion and creativity put into it as Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper combined with the D.I.Y. production to still keep it cool. Everyone song on the album flows into one another to make one seamless recording that dares you to skip a song.

Rocketship had come full circle from all of it's previous releases, including everything they had experimented with so far, including but not limited to ambient interludes, organ driven melodies, male-female harmonies and extreme sentimentality. The songs on the album are all well written, crafted works of art and Dustin Reske's expertise at recording and production make the entire album sound great. It's pretty impressive to think that everything on this album was made without even touching a computer.

My favorite track on the album is Heather, Tell Me Why. Listen to it and you will probably know why.

Rocketship/Henry's Dress Split
1. It's Gonna Be Soon

Shortly after their full length album, Rocketship appeared on a split CD with another Slumberland band, Henry's Dress. The song they contributed, It's Gonna Be Soon, is stylistically different from the songs that were included on their last album, abandoning the indie pop style and choosing a more relaxing style of song with quiet distorted guitars and an optimistic view of love as opposed to the more negative songs that appeared on the last few releases. Rocketship also seemed to have lost it's female singers for this song and has just Dustin singing on it.

Double Agent Compilation
1. The Love We Could Have Had

Dustin Reske next appeared on a compilation album for Double Agent Records accompanying singer Rose Melberg for the song The Love We Could Have Had. The song is a little hard to digest at first, because of the intensely distorted guitars and the very "trebley" production. But after listening a little longer it becomes obvious that this is another great pop song with wonderful hooks and great male-female harmonies. It's nice to have considering how extremely rare this is.

Get On The Floor 7 inch (vinyl)
A1. Get On The Floor (And Move It)
B1. All The Pleasures

In 1997 Dustin Reske was all alone; the band Rocketship had dissolved and it was now Dustin Reske all by himself. So what did he decide to do? Well, he did what anyone would do...he made a dance song. Rocketship's venture into the world of club music is a bit clumsy and unconvincing with the song Get On The Floor being almost whispered behind a rather odd dance beat with whistles and tons of reverb. However, after a while I did realize this actually is a really good tune and really makes me smile. However, it's not really enough to actually get me moving, but it does improve my mood, and thats what counts.

The B-side, All The Pleasures plays out like a psychedelic trip with some freaky flute music and repetitive cymbal hits behind some kind of guitar feedback. The song is also unnecessarily long and kind of uninteresting and probably uninspired. Dustin Reske really loves ambient music, and he is not afraid to submit his listeners to it. It's probably a good idea to skip this track unless you are high as a kite.

Beikoku-Ongaku Magazine v.9 (comp)
1. All That I Know

In case you don't know, Beikoku-Ongaku Magazine is one of the most influential indie culture magazines in the world. It's published (i think) once or twice a year and always comes included with a compilations CD. In 1997 the Rocketship song All That I Know was featured in issue #9's compilation disc. The song is one of my favorite's from Rocketship and is stupid impossible to find. This song continued to shift Dustin Reske further and further away from his indie pop roots and toward a more ambient, experimental path that had it's hits and misses. Fortunately this song was a big hit and includes the female backing vocals he had been lacking on the previous release (although they are mixed rather quietly). If you ever find this song, make sure to hoard it!

Capsule Giants/Rocketship Split
1. Love So Estranged

Entering 1998 Rocketship came in contact with a small record label called Cardinal Records and did a split with a band called Capsule Giants. I looked around and I really couldn't find anything about either the record label or the other band, but Rocketship's contribution to the split, Love So Estranged is one of my favorite songs from Dustin Reske. For a long time I really loved the song (and I still do) because of the great drum beat and electronic bass lines that were crafted for the song. The song remains in true Rocketship form with organ based melodies and ambient drones, but the more hip hop edge of the song and amazing lyrics make this one of my favorite Rocketship songs. Again, this song is harder to find than clouds in the Mariana Trench.

Garden of Delights (CD)
1. We Took The High Road
2. Butterflies
3. Carved By Winds And Water
4. Artesian Wells
5. Furness
6. The Deadly Fisher
7. Jewels From Many Lands

It was pretty obvious that Dustin Reske had been itching for about 5 years to make an all out ambient record, and that is exactly what he did in 1999 with his second full length album, Garden of Delights. The album has 45 minutes of ambient swells and chill tracks to fall asleep to or get stoned to, or whatever it is you want to do. It's sort of weird to listen to this album for fun, but it is still a very polished release and clearly some of the best ambient music in the world. The album experiments with backwards guitars, bongos and lots of pads and swelling patterns all designed and carefully executed. This was the 26th release from the now defunct Drive-In Records, it was also Rocketship's 6th record label.

Cookbook Compilation
1. Pretty Sara

In Japan there used to be a record label called Eenie Meenie Records. It seems after Rocketship's appearance in the Beikoku-Ongaku Magazine Dustin was able to land a song on a compilation released in 2002 called Cookbook. The song, Pretty Sara, seems to pick up where Rocketship left off 3 years earlier. The song has the typical Rocketship distorted guitars and organ melodies that Dustin Reske had been perfecting for 10 years. I particularly like this track though! The lyrics to the song are great, "She wants a rich merchant, and I have no land..."; it's clever analogies like this that always blow my mind wide open and leave me jealous as hell. Pretty Sara is a great song, but unfortunately it's extremely difficult to find.

The Way Things Change 6 (comp)
1. I Wanna Be Your Guy

A small label called Red Square Recordings from Flagstaff, Arizona included Rocketship on their compilation, The Way Things Change Volume 6 from 2003. Rocketship included the song I Wanna Be Your Guy, an extremely sleepy ambient track that loops over itself and includes some very echo-y lyrics sung solo by Dustin, telling an unknown girl that he would, indeed, like to be her guy. The song itself is pretty bland until the newly added horns add some spice at the end. Overall, this is a pretty good song, but not really as inspired as some of his other compilation songs.

Rocketship/Trace Split
1. The Quad
2. James, That's All Over Now
3. You'll Regret It Someday
4. Never Gonna Let You Go
5. Post-Work Comedown

After his appearance on The Way Things Change 6, Rocketship rebounded with their first truly inspired release in over 4 years. Rocketship's 2003 split on the Omnibus label with Trace had 5 songs and every one of them were really good. From the exciting opener the Quad, to the first female lead song, James, That's All Over Now, the split EP finally feels like a real Rocketship release. The third song You'll Regret It Someday comes off as slightly odd, but still remains enjoyable until the 4th song Never Gonna Let You Go comes on. I absolutely love that track! The song is so catchy and has so much to offer without even mentioning that it's just a fantastically well written song. You really can't go wrong with that track.

The Split comes to a great end with the appropriate Post-Work Comedown. It really is just that too...a relaxing ambient track that makes a perfect closer to the album. This split EP is actually one of the easier Rocketship releases to get a hold of (thanks to Ombibus making it available on many online retailors), so I would strongly recommend getting a hold of it. It was so amazingly refreshing to hear a Rocketship comeback EP that reminded me of their older releases.

Homemade Hits, Vol. 2 (comp)
23. Rocketship's Got Something

After the great Split CD released 2 years earlier Rocketship resurfaced in 2005 on the Kittridge Records compilation Homemade Hits, Vol. 2. However, it seems as though Dustin Reske took a big step backwards in creativity and instead chose to experiment with more electronic noises and strange Fruity Loops patterns and even used some hip hop samples (I have no idea where they came from). It's so extremely bizarre to hear this "song". I almost hate to call it a song because it never really goes anywhere. You expect the absurd clicks and beeps to suddenly transform into a viable piece of music at some point...but it just never happens.

Rocketship's Got Something is a pretty big let down and is really nothing more than 2 minutes of beeps and blips (not the good kind).

Here Comes...Rocketship (CD)
1. The Scene Section
2. You're Too Young
3. Oh! Woe Is Me
4. The Foxes' Teeth
5. No More Tomorrows
6. They March In Line
7. The Passersby
8. I'm Gonna Take Your Place
9. This Modern Livin'
10. Good Intentions?
11. Noose and Saddle Blues
12. Our New Track

When I first heard that a new Rocketship album was coming out, I was naturally excited, but when I heard that it was the true sequal to 1996's A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, I was ecstatic! So when the album came out in 2006 I was a bit mystified to not hear any sounds like the Rocketship from 10 years ago. Instead, Here Comes...Rocketship is filled with the electronic experiments that Dustin had been releasing for years. Fortunately this album has much, much more to offer than that. The opening track to the album, The Scene Section is an extremely dense song with tons of layers of instruments, synthesizers, backing vocals, drum beats and guitars. The song is also extremely fun and catchy, something I hadn't heard in nearly a decade from Rocketship.

The album also uses the acoustic guitar for the first time and has 2 ballads, the rebellious You're Too Young and I'm Gonna Take Your Place. Both songs show off Reske's song writing and singing in a simple way, proving what a great song writer he is, regardless of genre or style. The album also features a track with sound clips from a symphony perfectly pasted over a hip hop style drum beat, creating one of the most powerful songs of the album. The Foxes' Teeth also had a video made for it that I posted a few weeks back.

Overall, the album is very good. Dustin Reske really proved himself capable of pulling together an entire album together again of good stuff and made the album very diverse while doing it. The girls are back, the fun is back and his production skills are so top-notch now you can't even call this Lo-fi. You should head over to his label's website and pick it up. It's free to all, but pay what you can (sort of like Radiohead).

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While Rocketship and Dustin Reske have (probably) released a few more songs than this and have been featured on other compilations...this pretty much covers it. Trust me. Since 2006 I know Dustin has been producing other groups' albums and working with the nonstop co-op, so I'm sort of hoping a new Rocketship release will be out sometime soon! I also really hope maybe 1 person enjoys reading this, because I just spent a good 4 hours on it!

- eric

Interview: Carlos Valderrama of Fitness Forever

2008-05-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago I wrote about one of my favorite groups from Italy called Fitness Forever (here). Now, a couple months later Carlos Valderrama (the composer behind the group) has agreed to do an interview with me.

I really hope you'll enjoy this one. The debut album from Fitness Forever, Personal Train, is nearly finished and its really the perfect time to do an interview with them (before they're off playing world tours). Carlos is a wonderful guy with an equally wonderful Italian accent.

Eric: I know you have played with other groups, so what made you decided to start Fitness Forever?

Carlos: First of all, thanks thousands for doing an interview with me Eric! I've been waiting for this moment since I was born.

I've been playing with many bands before Fitness Forever...all kind of music, from hardcore punk to indie-rock to shoegaze, even kind of "Cruise ship music" (kind of Bee Gee-sy).

But since people in my last band, the amazing VALDERRAMA 5 cared a lot about eating, I realized I was starting to gain weight; that's when I decided to start up the "Fitness Forever" project. The first recordings were in May 2007 and now I've already lost about 2 kilos! *That's about 4.4 pounds*

Eric: Is it just you writing the songs for the group, or do any of the other members contribute anything creatively to the music?

Carlos: I'm the producer, main songwriter and arranger and definitely the one who has in mind how the song will sound at the end of the recording (so it's my fault if everything is so creepy), but there are 2 more musicians in the band who have a main role in recordings and arrangements: Big Tony (keyboards) is also an orchestral conductor and was very, very important in writing the string quartet's scores, while Scialdone (bass and guitars), apart from being a bass and guitar master, is really half of the band, we decide together...well, almost everything!

Last but not least, the ultra cute and beautiful Paster. I believe that her sweetness and her gentle voice is the soul of the band.

We work like production teams used to work in the 60's. We spend almost the whole day in the recording studio, everyone has their own role and we work friendly together in order to produce the happiest record ever!

Eric: How do you end up getting signed with EMI records?

Carlos: It's fun! They just listened to some songs on Myspace (God bless Tom :-D), they asked for more, they liked the stuff and then I just got signed!

Eric: After the release of your single "Mondo Fitness" how do you feel about your upcoming album?

Carlos: Everything I know, every single song I've played, every love story I've had, every single second spent on the beach...they were all kind of cut/pasted from my soul to this record. I don't know if it's enough to make this a great record, but surely, I did everything I could to record the best album I could. *insert shy smile here*

Eric: Could you explain a little bit about the new album; How you're recording it, what the songs are about and when it will be released?

Carlos: We are recording it in a small studio in Napoli, in the south of Italy (the place where pizza was born!) owned by Big Tony and Scialdone on a digital mixer, but we're trying to use as much analog stuff as we can, from pre-amplifiers to compressors, reverbs, synths and echoes...

Lots of strings, backing vocals, trumpets, guitars, synthesizers and percussions were recorded. It wasn't a choice, it's just the way I heard the songs in my mind before recording them.

I'm a kind of lonely person; I feel a bit uncomfortable with people and I definitely have my own world where I live in every day, so my songs are about a strange kind of happiness I feel when I see people happy. They (the songs) talk about someone relaxing on a lonely beach in September, or about what a guy who falls in love with an anarchist may do to earn her attention. Stuff like that!

Eric: Could you talk about your influences a little bit? What sort of bands do you want your group to sound like, or just ended up finding their way into your music?

Carlos: Brian Wilson, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Circulatory System, Free Design, Joao Gilberto, John Carter, Billy Nicholls, La Casa Azul, Frank Zappa, Serge Gainsbourg, Junior Boys, Peppino Di Capri, Stereolab, Scott Walker, Burt Bacharach, Lilys, The Heavy Blinkers, Super Furry Animals, Supergrass, My Bloody Valentine, Olivia Tremor Control, The Who, The Beatles...all of them are geniuses; amazing people who changed my life.

Eric: Your music actually makes me think of the Gymnopedies by Erik Satie (you can hear the first one here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPA-GfkkkGc). They were actually the first ambient/lounge songs. Have you heard them?

Carlos: WOWWWW! That's a great compliment Eric! Satie is amazing...being compared to such magnificent music just makes me blush.

Eric: I wanted to ask about your fitness image. Do you really care that much about fitness, or is it just some kind of gimmick?

Carlos: Well, actually, we spend too much time sitting at the mixing desk, but I'm actually leaving for 2 weeks to Formetera soon, so maybe when I come back after some swimming and sunshine I'll be able to answer your question better.

Eric: I know you can speak fluently in English and Italian, but all your songs are strictly in Italian. Do you have any plans of writing any songs in English?

Carlos: Well, I actually wrote songs for 15 years in English, but then I realized it didn't work because English spoken by an Italian is sort of awkward sounding to people from the USA and England...if not just plain funny because of our Italian accent. So I decided that if I really wanted to speak to people, I had to write songs in Italian (which is actually much more difficult than writing in English, because of Italian words. Every Italian songwriter will tell you the same!)

But I also feel that since I listen to a lot of music sung in English or French or Portuguese, Icelandic or Norwich, I also figure that people from other countries may find my music interesting and lovely, the same way I do listening to songs in their language.

Eric: When your new album comes out will it have distribution in the United States?

Carlos: I don't know yet, but I will definitely ask some American labels if they are mad enough to spend money on a guy who writes songs about taking vacations in September!

Eric: Finally, what do you plan to do after the release of the new album? Are there any plans for any tours or anything like that?

Carlos: Well, after spending months recording I'd love to finally take the stage and spread the message of being in shape with Fitness Forever to the whole world!

Since we're still only a 4 member group, we need much more people on stage to perform the songs live, but we're already asking around for a female string quartet dressed in Olympic swimsuits!

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I want to thank Carlos Valderrama and the rest of Fitness Forever for being so cool! You can check out their music by going to the link below!

Myspace | Label

Interview: Jason MacIsaac of The Heavy Blinkers

2008-04-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday I had the chance to talk with Jason MacIsaac, the man behind one of the most gorgeous pop bands in the entire world, The Heavy Blinkers. For over 10 years The Heavy Blinkers have been releasing beautiful pop albums that have put them in the top tier of indie pop bands world-wide. Their music is often filled with tons of layers of instruments and vocal harmonies, not to mention brilliant song writing and production. The only other band in the world that comes close to their style is England's own The High Llamas.

I hope you'll enjoy hearing from one of the most intelligent and (in my opinion) under rated artists in the whole world.

Eric: First, thanks for agreeing to do the interview. I first found your music when your video for "Try Telling That To My Baby" was posted on the band Majestic's myspace and since then I have been a huge fan, but I really don't know much about the Heavy Blinkers. Could you explain how you started the band and what members are in the group?

Jason: In the late-nineties, about seven months after having moved to Toronto with my Pixies-esque band, I decided that I wanted to make a brand new musical project with an emphasis on classical orchestration. At the time, this project was going to be called Theremin. I imagined it as a six piece, consisting of a female vocalist, tremolo guitar (me), and string quartet. THIS was my original vision, anyway.

When I moved back, I started writing and doing 4 track demos in my apartment. It soon became apparent to me that to express the songs the way I thought they needed to be served; I would need a full band arrangement. While looking for a recording studio in which to record these new songs, I happened upon Andrew Watt (co-founding heavy blinker) and his recording studio. I invited some people who had been recording in his studio to play here and there on the record. Months later, when I was accepted to play in a pop festival in Halifax, it was obvious that I needed a live band. What began as a solo recording project eventually grew into the heavy blinkers as a quintet. The classic heavy blinkers as the world knew us from 1998 to 2004 was as follows:

Jason MacIsaac: vocals, guitars, keyboards
Andrew Watt: vocals, keyboards
Ruth Minnikin: vocals
Trevor Forbes: bass
Greg Fry: drums

Eric: What is it like living in Nova Scotia? It's only about 6 hours from Massachusetts (where I live) but I know it's a world of difference. Could you explain how life in Halifax has inspired you and your music?

Jason: On a conscious and lyrical level, there are three things about Halifax that informs my writing. The first is the bitter winter. The second is the Atlantic Ocean, and the third is the phenomenon of living somewhere with four distinct seasons. My lyrics, since day one, have been littered with imagery, and metaphors about these three topics. Halifax is a city replete in history and ghosts, and I touch on these elements quite a bit on the soon to be released 5th album HEALTH.

Eric: Your first 2 albums have a slightly different sound than your latest releases; they sound much more shoegaze and twee influenced. What kind of situation was happening in the band during the writing of these two albums and how do you feel about the albums now, a decade after their initial release?

Jason: The first album Hooray for Everything was a very transitional record for me. It saw me slowly eschewing my old influences in favour of my even older influences. I was trying to consolidate indie rock and loud crunchy guitars with the more pastoral music on which I was raised. The Beach Boys references became even more slavish on the second album SELF TITLED. My memories of making that album are the fondest that I have of making any record. The five of us were in a studio that was ostensibly under a bridge. We just made tons and tons of music until the wee wee hours of the morn. On the first album, I called all the shots for better or for worse. With the second album, and for the first time, I had this tribe who all cared about the same thing. It was a really great environment. We were this brand new near-virginal band, but with an engineer (Andrew) in the band, and a lead songwriter (me) who already made most of his worst mistakes on the first heavy blinkers record, we avoided so many sonic and artistic pitfalls. We played live off the floor to tape, and we overdubbed endlessly.

A decade later, I would say that I am starting to warm up again to Hooray For Everything. For years I couldn't listen to it (the instrumental END OF SUMMER SUITE notwithstanding). I have never really had an interest in being a singer, I just did it if no one else was around. If I could go back and re-record the songs with Ruth on most of the material, it would better serve the recording.

As for SELF-TITLED, there are some really good songs on that album,. Again, I think the beach boys thing was a little heavy handed in some areas, but I think this is very natural thing. I think the older you get, the more your influences become less obvious until such time that they are merely unconscious points of reference that become expressed in some arcane fashion.

Eric: I started to get into your music around the release of the albums Better Weather and The Night And I Are Still So Young. You wrote some absolutely genius songs like I Used To Be A Design and Filtered Light. How on Earth do you even write something that good! Honestly, explain to me how you write your songs and all the amazing orchestral things that you add to your music.

Jason: YOU ARE TOO KIND!!!! I used to be a design was written after listening to Bob Dylan's song Shooting Star from the album Oh Mercy. The first line "I used to be a design, but now I'm a tree" came from a book of poetry written by elementary students. I would like to take credit for all the chestnuts, but in the case of FILTERED LIGHT, Andrew wrote most, if not all of the music to that, and I merely contributed lyrics.

I write all of my songs on piano. This is one of the key differences between my songs and those of most guitar players. People will argue with me endlessly about this, but unless you are Antonio Carlos Jobim or something, you can more easily establish new voicings and chord progressions on piano than on guitar. When I stopped writing on guitar and started writing on piano, EVERYTHING changed. I felt like I had been writing with oven mitts on for years. It was as if I thought I was a painter and then someone gave me a camera, and a light switch went on above my head. I am very theoretical when I write, and with the piano, it is all laid out there for me.

As for the orchestral flourishes, I kind of just hear them. I know many people who, when asked about a song that they've written, say "I just dreamt that song" or "I pulled it out of the air, fully-formed" etc. I'm not that guy! I have to work my ass off for every chord. However, I do think I have a producers' mind, and once the song in question is written, I feel that (for my material anyway) I know just what will hit the spot. That aspect comes to me without any sweat or labour. Many times, while listening back to my piano and vocal only demos, I think that I have heard a horn or a string section. I will rewind it, to see what I had actually heard, and there is nothing there at all. It is as if my brain is arranging in real time. I know this all sounds ridiculous and self-aggrandizing, but it is a phenomenon that happens often enough, that I don't ignore it. It is most likely signals from space, being transmitted through my fillings, but I will chalk it up to being a gift.

Eric: You also made a video for the song Try Telling That To My Baby. How did you end up getting in contact with Fluorescent Hill and how do you feel about the video?

Jason: As I recall, Fluorescent Hill got in contact with us. When I saw that they had worked with Badly Drawn Boy and Sixtoo, I was sold. We had already hand drawn a video for the song "You can heal", so we had already delved into the animation world before. I think they did an absolutely amazing job. I think one of the great things about this video, and this is likely Fluroescent Hill's genius, is that it embraces all of the imagery that people who didn't quite understand us at the time, used to describe us. "Your music is like candy for my brain" or "Sugary sweet pop-confection". I mean we heard that ALL the time. So, in the same way that the movie HEAD embraced the Monkees manufactured image, this video was so over the top that it became subversive. I talked to them just a few weeks ago about shooting another video for us for the new album.

Eric: I know you've come across hard times recently as Andrew Watt and Ruth Minnikin have left the group. If you can, could you explain what prompted their departure and what you have been doing since (as far as trying to reform the band, or just going solo).

Jason: Initially, Andrew had some family issues that he needed to address. In the long-run though, the main issue is that he is a business owner, and he has responsibilities that preclude him from just picking up and leaving, or devoting his time to the band in the way that he wanted. Andrew co-owns one of Halifax's most successful recording studios, and it (rightly so) requires his constant attention. Without Andrew in the band, other members just didn't feel it was the heavy blinkers anymore. I wholeheartedly support everyone's decision, but it takes some getting used to nevertheless. As it stands now, myself and David Christensen (blinker since '05ish) are the only active members. I am sure that we will all be in the same studio or stage again at some point, but for now, and at least with the new album, it is a bit of a solo/duo endeavor. In a way, it has come full circle. I don't think the music will suffer terribly; it will just evolve into something different. David is a genius arranger/composer/musician, and he and I have worked on many non heavy blinkers projects in the past, and we work fast and intuitively together.

Eric: You've also been working on the Heavy Blinkers 5th album, Health, for quite a long time. How is the album turning out and will there be any sound clips of the band coming soon?

Jason: Health is the album that refuses to be released! It is going well, but it is so unruly and complex, that it has taken forever. To be fair, there have been giant chunks of time where nothing has been done on it at all, but it has been a battle, to be sure. It is 25 + songs and is heavily orchestrated, so it's not like going into the studio and just bashing it out with guitar, bass and drums. The amount of layering is obscene, and while computers have made my musical life a dream, it has also slowed down the process as well. I am now able to make everything as close to perfect as I can envision it. I am always conscious of not sacrificing feel for precision, and am attempting to have both with this album. The last thing I want is for the album to be technically perfect, and lifeless.

So much time has passed that I feel like I am producing someone else's album now. There is an air of objectivity in my decision-making at this point that was heretofore missing. I am not precious about these songs anymore, because they feel as if they were written by someone else. If something isn't working, I have no problem radically amending or rejecting it. In the past, I would walk into a studio with the exact number of songs, and we would record them, and that was that. I have grown up a lot since then.

It is a very theatrical album, and it plays like a musical. There are plenty of band moments, but overall, it is more like musical theatre than an indie-rock record. We have Sondre Lerche singing one song, Sean O'Hagan from the high llamas sings another and plays guitar. It sounds positively lovely.

I have been thinking of putting up some demos or rough mixes on our myspace, just to show everyone that I haven't been golfing for three years.

Eric: I know you've also been busy with writing film scores and musicals for a lot of other people. What kind of stuff have you worked on so far and where can we see/hear some of it?

Jason: I have been scoring for a Halifax based theatre troupe called Zuppa Circus for almost ten years now. www.zuppacircus.com. Dave and I most recently scored their play Penny Dreadful and won BEST SCORE at the Nova Scotia Theatre Awards, so I was very pleased. I had never won an award in anything before in my entire life.

Earlier last year, Dave and I also produced the debut album by sometimes heavy blinkers touring vocalist Jenn Grant. http://www.myspace.com/jenngrant1.

And I just finished producing the debut full length by an artist named Brent Randall. I think you would really love him. He looks like Harrison, sings like Dylan, and writes like Nilsson. The album isn't out for another month or so, but you can hear a bit of it on his site here: http://justfriends.ca/brent/.

I am currently in pre-production with an alt-country band called The Prospector's Union, and we go in the studio to record that E.P. in a few weeks.

Eric: Lastly, what do you have planned for the future with the Heavy Blinkers and with yourself? Any new side projects or art exhibits you want to share?

Jason: Well, once HEALTH is on the shelves, I have to start finding a way to bring it to people's towns. I really want to tour heavily to support this album, and I am trying to find a way to bring as many musicians as is possible, for as little money as is possible. In terms of side projects, I would like to do some more film scoring, and it has always been a dream of mine to score a dance piece, so maybe this will be my year. It is hard to tell, everything takes longer than I think, and I still have a day job that consumes a large part of my week. As always, The Heavy Blinkers will continue to be my main priority, and as soon as the albatross ( I mean this lovingly) that is Health is off my back, I can start releasing the other songs that didn't make it to that album. I would love to produce a Glen Campbell comeback record…can you make that happen?

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While I am not entirely sure if I can help out with that Glen Campbell comeback record, I did go as far as to email Glen Campbell's publicist. I wonder if they'll ever write me back?

Anyway! Thanks to Jason MacIsaac for being so great. Check out the Heavy Blinkers music below.

Myspace | Website | Label | Jason's label | The Heavy Blinkers Blog

Bikeride

2008-04-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone. I wanted to write a little bit today about one of my favorite pop groups of all time, Bikeride. In case you don't know about them, let me bring you up to speed.

They were formed in Long Beach, CA in 1994 (Their third show was the Aquabats first show ever) and have released 5 albums of perfect pop. Their first album HERE COMES THE SUMMER burst on the scene and established them as the kings of sunshine pop. I still love tracks like Stupid 44, The 4th of July and Iron Feather.

After this album followed 3 more, which were all acclaimed by the likes of the LA Times, OC Weekly, Amplifier Magazine and Rolling Stone Magazine. THIRTY-SEVEN SECRETS I ONLY TOLD AMERICA, SUMMER WINNERS, SUMMER LOSERS and MORNING MACUMBA were all amazing pop records that ventured into genres like Bossa Nova, synth ambience and folk pop while always being completely enjoyable.

(An interview with Bikeride while recording The Kiss)

Their last album, THE KISS was released in 2007 and was Bikeride's darkest and most experimental album. It became an instant indie pop classic with songs like She's Radioactive, Your Lips and You and Siamese Twins. But before you could even get excited for their next album Bikeride's lead singer, guitarist and song writer, Tony Carbone passed away from melanoma on March 6th, 2008.

Before Tony died I was fortunate enough to talk to him (if only for a brief moment), but I didn't really know him and neither can I understand the things his friends and family are going through. But as an admirer of his music the main question that now stands is "What is going to happen to Bikeride?"

Well, I think we all know the answer. Bikeride wasn't the kind of band that could replace someone as irreplaceable as Tony (who they themselves called the Heart of Bikeride). Even still, its an empty feeling knowing that someone who gave me so much happiness through his music is gone. I asked a few of Tony's personal friends and band mates to say a few things about Tony and what has been going on with Bikeride and a couple were nice enough to write me back, so I'm going to post their quotes here.

"Tony was great. Kind and friendly, funny and talented. He had style and he was smart. He helped my company with the "Julius & Friends theme song" and I helped him make buttons for Bike Ride. I was a fan of his and I felt we had mutual respect.

It's hard thinking of him as gone. When we did that benefit for him, I helped with the auction but I arrived after he had gone home (early due to his declining health) so I missed him. I never got to personally show him my support and ultimately never got to properly say goodbye. My wife and I miss him." - Parker Jacobs (of the band GOGO13)

"It has definitely been a tough few months. We (bikeride) have been trying to figure out how to handle everything. We're probably going to do a collective press release, website/myspace update, etc. But we need his wife's input and we're giving it a little time. We're also trying to figure out what to do with the ~30 songs we have that are in various stages of completion..." - Adam Deibert (Bikeride's Bass Player)

myspace | website | Tony's memorial page

It's always a shame when a major celebrity musician passes away, but when it's one of the little guys; the ones who put their hearts right there on the music to their fans it's always a lot harder. I'm going to miss Tony and Bikeride a lot, but I'm very glad their albums are still there to listen to over and over.

- eric

Monthly pop music wrap up

2008-04-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Woah! It's been over a MONTH since I've written here! Wow. The days just go by! I blame my new job and my obsession with recording music for this. But I now bring you the MONTHLY POP MUSIC WRAP UP! All you need to know about the world of pop music for this month. (sort of)

In case you don't know yet ROCKETSHIP is still offering their 2 latest albums and a few songs all for free on their label's WEBSITE. This is extremely recommended.

The new smash hit by Paul Steel is almost out! Go and listen to some songs and get ready!

The new Sweet Diss and the Comebacks album is getting closer to coming out every day! Make sure you visit the myspace and keep the pressure on their resident genius, Nate Reinauer!

Derek White and the Monophobics just release their debut album and it EFFING RULES. Seriously check these guys out. They're a smile.

The extremely gorgeous Italian pop band, FITNESS FOREVER have revealed another song from their upcoming album! It's so great. Carlos Valderamma is a genius and I get so excited to hear his music.

lastly, WEEZER is finally releasing their new album. The second self titled Weezer album is expected to be more like their last 3 albums and less like the first 2, but I'm still excited for it to come out. You should go to their page and wet your chops!

Karl Koch Inerview

2008-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to give you a heads up about a really good interview with Karl Koch, the webmaster of Weezer's website, and a close friend of the band. If you like the band Weezer, I think you'll really dig this interview.

Support your independent music bloggers.

Karl Koch Interview

Nelson Bragg - Day Into Night

2008-03-04T02:34:00.000-08:00

There comes a point in every long standing band's career where its members feel the need to break out and start a solo career. All the members of KISS did it, Led Zeppelin did it (except for their ill fated drummer, John Bonham, of course) and The Beach Boys did it too.

Most notably is Beach Boy Brian Wilson's solo career. Since 1988 Brian Wilson has been releasing a string of solo albums to great reviews. However, Brian Wilson scarcely played live until assembling his own live band to accurately play his complex instrumental and vocal harmony sections featured on his studio albums. For almost a decade Brian and his band has been touring the world performing Brian's works including Pet Sounds, Smile and his latest work That Lucky Old Sun.

All of the members of Brian Wilson's live band are incredible musicians, each with their own background and musical history. You may recognize Nelson Bragg as one of the percussionists of the band, frequently performing behind Wilson and surrounded by an arsenal of drums, cymbals, tambourines and various other instruments. But besides Bragg's gig with Brian Wilson he is also a member of several other bands in the pop scene including The Wondermints, The Now People, The Quarter After and Cloud Eleven.

Despite Bragg's extremely busy schedule he still managed to go the route of so many band members before him and release his first solo album, Day Into Night, at the tender age of 44. As with any album from an accomplished musician and multi instrumentalist, Day Into Night shines with great song writing, fantastic harmonies and a maturity that often takes artists decades to develop.

Initially, the album sounds very similar to artists like Barenaked Ladies and other pop folk fusion groups, but after several listens the album begins to show Nelson's more obvious influences, namely the Beach Boys and the Beatles. In fact, there is a cover of George Harrison's "Dark Sweet Lady" on the album that remains very true to the original (although I've always HATED the steel guitar).

All of the songs on the album work around an acoustic guitar and catchy vocals by Nelson Bragg and while it is obvious that a lot of thought and effort was put into the album, both in writing and recording, the album's major flaw is just how similar the songs really are. The songs on the album run the gamut from slow, aching ballads to mid tempo light pop songs that just seem to melt into each other without any indication that a new song has begun or end.

Perhaps the most exciting song on the album, Tell Someone, despite having a great key change in the middle of the song, still seems to drag on and then finally returns to more balladeering. The album ends with the down tempo song Turn The Darkness Into Gold, a great song reminiscent of 70s style acoustic pop but the track left me feeling disappointed by the overall gloomy feel of the track and ultimately, the whole album.

Day Into Night is a great first release from Nelson Bragg and clearly shows off his talent as a song writer and solo artist, but the songs on the album just don't have enough diversity to make listening a very enjoyable experience. I suspect that Nelson Bragg's masterpiece is not quite here yet, but his first album proves that he has the potential, and hopefully will, blow the pop world away.

Click here to listen to Day Into Night or learn how to buy it.
Myspace | Label

Nicholas Alan - Busker

2008-02-28T04:06:00.000-08:00

Released last year, Nicholas Alan's sophomore album, "Busker", is easily one of the best folk pop albums of 2007. With brilliant song writing and conviction to boot, Nicholas Alan is one of the people to look out for in the pop music scene today.

The album opens up properly with the song Being 25, an ode to young adulthood and not quite being comfortable with yourself just yet. I was impressed with the song's slow build up as it added more instruments creating a very lush, full sound.

The album takes a turn for the somber with the next track, I'll Make You Wonder. Despite being the most ballad like song of the album, it is sung beautifully and Alan's dense instrumentation keeps the album flowing into my favorite track of the album.

I think the third song of the album, One That I Dream About, is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. After an amazing string introduction the song kicks off with a series of dreamy chords that sets this song apart from anything I've heard in years. It really is a great song with some very inventive key changes that add a great deal of originality to the song.

The album picks up from this point with the extremely jubilant A Tired Apartment. The singing in this particular song is some of the best on the whole album, especially the subtle backing vocals; they really add a lot of depth to the song. But this song truly shines after the first half of the song! As Alan sings "Don't stop, run like the wind" the music picks up and a great string pattern repeats and builds, creating an amazing and lush coda.

The next song on the album is an acoustic cover of the Flaming Lips classic, Ego Tripping At the Gates of Hell. I am a very big fan of the Flaming Lips (especially their album Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots), so I was extremely relieved when I did hear Alan's stripped down cover. He made his own arrangement of this song, and sings it perfectly. I give him kudos for making an excellent choice for a cover.

The sixth song on Busker is the Macabre Lies of Liars. Despite the grim tone of the song, this is one of my favorite arrangements on the album. I love the sections of the song at 1:30 and 2:30. This is another great song with a perfect instrumentation.

The album finishes off with the deeply personal Cigarettes In Snowmen. It's a terribly gorgeous song with another great build up, but the real clincher of this song is the lyrics that Alan wrote for this song. It truly reminds me of the days when singer/songwriters dominated the radio and every kid with an acoustic guitar had a hero in Simon and Garfunkel or the Beatles. It's a real good trip, man, and the hidden track at the end of the album is equally beautiful and reminds me a bit of John Mayer. I just felt awesome after hearing this CD.

Busker is a beautiful album with some of the best arrangements I've ever heard. And Although Nicholas Alan's style has been compared to artists like Jack Johnson, I can't entirely agree; I've heard Jack Johnson and I've heard Nicholas Alan and I truly believe that the latter is much, much more endearing. It's true: Nicholas Alan is the next great hope for independent folk-pop music.

Go give Nicholas Alan and Busker a listen! You can buy his album at his website and his myspace.

Website | Myspace | Label

Fitness Forever

2008-02-24T02:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let everyone know I've been really busy writing in some old reviews and working on some new ones that I'm pretty stoked on. So if you scroll down you can read some new interviews for some albums I added lately.

And just for the record, you can't download any albums from my blog. I allow people to stream them for previewing purposes, so please stop sending me hate mail!

So while I spend a few days writing in old reviews you should check out this lovely band from Italy called Fitness Forever. I was lucky enough to hear their first single "Mondo Fitness" last year and they are just about to release their first album on EMI in Italy and then all over the world shortly after.

Check out their myspace and hear a track from their upcoming album. Its really brilliant. Bonus points if anyone can translate the lyrics for me! I'd love to know what the song is about.

- eric

The Long Goodbye

2008-02-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite new actors to pop up on my TV and in theaters is an incredibly funny Canadian by the name of Michael Cera. He co-starred in the movies Superbad and Juno and I really loved both of them. For those of you that did see Juno, maybe you remember Michael Cera and Ellen Page's acoustic duet of the Moldy Peaches song Anyone Else But You? If you don't check it out here.

As it turns out, Michael Cera has his own band. Los Angeles' The Long Goodbye consists of Michael Cera and his friend Clark Duke on guitar with Christian Buenaventura on drums.

Well because I'm writing about them in the first place, I love them to death. They describe their songs as “silly, confessional, and off-the-cuff rag-tag ditties, based on simple structures and adolescent-in-love lyrics." And that's pretty close to the truth! Everyone of the songs on their myspace is beautiful in it's own respect and a band like this really deserves to have label support and several tours a year. But I suppose with the way Michael Cera's career is exploding, it would be a miracle to hear any more music from this trio at all.

My favorite song on their myspace is "Pilgrims". The acoustic guitars are based around this one simple, but great riff that just works. And the lyrics tell of a complex love triangle between the narrator and two girls: Margaret and Shelly. It's almost folk style story telling with Michael Cera singing in either a giant hall, or with lots of reverb, but it sounds great.

The band has received attention from both Spin magazine and Limewire's music blog, both crediting the band for their DIY ethic but Limewire makes a point that their lo-fi sound detracts from their music. Well as a huge fan of the lo-fi sound I completely disagree. The music The Long Goodbye offers is honest, raw and very moving.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, give them a listen. You'll be in for a smile.

http://www.myspace.com/thelonggoodbyeband

Rocketship videos!

2008-02-06T04:07:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Eric Here. I've been spending a lot of time scouring youtube lately, and I found 3 Rocketship videos. These are probably about as rare as clouds in the Mariana Trench.

Check them out!

The official video for The Foxes Teeth off Here Comes...Rocketship. 2006.

A video from the same guy who shot the Foxes Teeth video. The song is Furness from Rocketship's 1999 ambient album, Garden of Delights.

A live video of Kisses Are Always Promises. Probably 96 or 97.

Click here to visit Rocketship's official Myspace.
Click here to visit Rocketship's official Website.

Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale

2008-01-01T03:13:00.001-08:00

Released in 1974, Fulfillingness' First Finale was the 20th album from Stevie Wonder. Smack dab in the center of Stevie's "Classic" funk era he released this album right after another classic, Innervisions.

While the sound is a more mellow than his previous effort, this album continues to show Wonder's ability to write, arrange and sing his songs like only he can. Songs like Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away and Boogie On Reggae Woman show a real diversity throughout the album that other artists just weren't able to do at the time. I've never really felt stifled and bored listening to Stevie Wonder's music, as opposed to other albums released around this period by artists like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

Stevie Wonder has always been a soulful kind of guy, with a great pop edge, and Fulfillingness' First Finale is just another essential album from Stevie Wonder. It went to #1 when it was released, and it still sounds great.

Caribou - Andorra

2008-01-01T03:13:00.000-08:00

Caribou is the stage name of musician Daniel Victor Snaith. His latest album Andorra reminds me of Of Montreal. I think it's important to get that out of the way as soon as possible. Their style is very similar, lots of synthesized songs that sound almost like dance songs with overwhelming lyrics and tons of production.

I don't want to sound too harsh, considering I do really like this album. But I suppose I just am not that into this new style of indie music that groups like Caribou and Animal Collective are creating. It's almost comparable to trance music, with endless loops of droney patterns and loops. I thought the song Niobe in particular would never end.

But to truly LOVE an album like this would require a lot of listening, and maybe even seeing the artist perform live. Considering I have done neither of these things I can only respectfully say I think this album could be better. The album shows a great deal of work and is very beautiful, especially the song Sandy, but I felt a little disappointed after listening to it several times, almost like something was missing.

While I don't know if I will ever know what is missing from this album, maybe you will. Andorra is a great CD for the right audience, that part is clear. It is definitely worth a listen and you should find out if it is right for you.

Belle And Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister

2008-01-01T03:08:00.003-08:00

I'm always a little bit nervous to write a review of an album that a lot of people feel very passionate about. I'm almost afraid of the backlash that a negative review could earn me. But fortunately, I love this album just as much as all the other Belle and Sebastian fanatics.

Released in 1996, If You're Feeling Sinister is the second album from the Scottish indie pop legends Belle and Sebastian. The sounds heard within are often confusing and beautiful. I say confusing because their music often sounds very out of place. Almost like its from another period of time, somewhere between Simon and Garfunkel and The Smiths, with all the pop aesthetics of the great bands in between. Belle and Sebastian have a huge bag of influences and their second album shows that diversity and merges it into their songs perfectly.

Another thing I love about this album, is just how cute it is. Every song is written about something most of us can relate to, and that sentimentality is what has won over so many fans and critics alike.

Anyway, I could go on forever about this album. I'd suggest that you go buy it, but I bet you already own it. Why not go put it back in the record player for old times sake?

Cursive - The Ugly Organ

2008-01-01T03:08:00.002-08:00

The Ugly Organ is my favorite album by Cursive. Coming from Nebraska, and the same area as the over-emo group Bright Eyes, Cursive released the Ugly Organ in 2003 on Saddle Creek Records. While remaining essentially the same (sound-wise) as their previous album, The Ugly Organ had one huge improvement to their sound for this album, the addition of Gretta Cohn on Cello. Gretta is a brilliant cello player, and her cello lines really make the album for me. They really got a lot of definition at that point as the indie rock band with the cello.

But I digress, The Ugly Organ is basically a concept album about "The Ugly Organist" and his lonely existence. It's also a pretty solid album. I love the tracks Art Is Hard, The Recluse and Driftwood. Considering that I hated Cursive when I first heard them, I have come a long way to be able to say, I really do like them a lot.

I still hate Bright Eyes though. Sorry.

Cursive - Domestica

2008-01-01T03:07:00.000-08:00

Domestica is the 3rd album from indie rock band Cursive. In my opinion this album is where they really hit their stride. Domestica is a concept album with a string of great songs that really work together. Tim Kasher, the group's lead singer sounds really great on all of these songs, and it is a very high energy album that I like to listen to whenever I want to think about relationship troubles.

My only real complaint about this album is that I heard it after The Ugly Organ, so the sound just feels sort of empty to me without that cello. I really wish they had found that cello from day one and kept it. For me, Cursive will always have a cello. At least in my heart.

Gorillaz - Demon Days

2008-01-01T03:06:00.000-08:00

Demon Days is the second studio album from the fictitious band Gorillaz. However, behind the characters that represent Gorillaz the creators of the band Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett have been hard at work making the follow up to their successful self titled debut.

The album itself doesn't stray very far from the first album musically, with lots of hip hop beats driven by thumping bass lines and generally catchy lyrics. It really is a fool proof schematic that has propelled the Gorillaz world wide. They have even started performing live with a series of musicians standing for the animated members and with the cartoons on a screen behind the live musicians. Perhaps not a first, but its always awesome to see something like that.

After a short introduction to the album, Demon Days offers the tremendously catchy Last Living Souls. The song is a good example of what the band will offer throughout the whole album: lots of drum beats and catchy lyrics. However, this particular song has one awesome build up with a collection of strings that make this one of my favorite tracks.

But it's after this first song where the album loses a lot of focus. Tracks like O Green World and Kids With Guns feel slightly meaningless in the album, and almost like filler material. Endless droning on over the same pattern just really makes me feel bored. And the song Dirty Harry, despite being a minor single from the album fails to garner any interest either. The song suffers from the same endless musical pattern that just becomes torturous to listen to. However, if you can make it to the rap section in the second half of the song this track really does pick up.

The big hit from the album Feel Good Inc. comes on next and always makes me feel awesome. I love that bass line, and the second section of this song really adds a lot of variety to this song that most of the other songs on the album really lack. One of my absolutely favorite things about this song is the great rapping from De La Soul. He is just so good at rapping I don't know why they don't just ask him to be a permanent member of their group. But I digress, Feel Good Inc. is an awesome song and it always will be.

From here on out the album really mellows out. The track El Manana is terribly droney, but I still like to listen to it occasionally. It is very reminiscent of a Spanish style song, but it is pretty sad as well. Things continue at a slow place with Every Planet We Reach Is Dead and November Has Come. Both are driven by this rather annoying clapping and just doesn't do it for me. They both feel like more filler material to me.

Things do pick up pretty quickly though after the second half of the album. I love the songs All Alone and White Light. They both are very original tracks and try to change up their sound before things get too repetitive. I also particularly like the chant of White Light before it leads into the other big hit of the album, DARE.

DARE is an awesome dance track, with a neat video of Noodle dancing around in her room with the giant disembodied head of Shaun Ryder (of the band Happy Mondays) in her closet. It's a bit strange, but it's an awesome dance song that shockingly never gets stale, and its easy to see why it was such a big hit all over. Even my dad liked it!

But after that song, the album is really done for me. The rest of the songs, Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head, Don't Get Lost In Heaven and the title track are too long, drawn out and just plain boring. I just don't like listening to them. Which is a shame to end an album in such a predictable way.

So while Demon Days at certain points is an awesome album, too many of the songs are just plain boring and drawn out. For such a successful band I really feel like they should be trying harder to write more creative music that will challenge their wide fan base. I really hope to see better song writing on their next album and hopefully more upbeat songs like Feel Good Inc.

God I love that song.

Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket

2008-01-01T03:03:00.002-08:00

Before anyone says "Blink 182 are lame! Why on Earth would you want to review them?", just let me say I never really liked Blink 182 when I was younger when they were still on MTV and the radio. I really only started listening to them after they broke up and they were no longer grounds to get made fun of.

That being said, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is my favorite Blink 182 album, and although it was never as successful as their previous album, Enema of the State, I feel like this album has a lot more to offer fans and non listeners alike. I've always liked Travis Barker's drumming, even when he was with the Aquabats and the vocal chemistry between guitarist and bassist Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus is undeniable. This album is unmistakably a pop album with all the hooks and sing alongs to prove it. All the songs on this album are really good quality songs running the gamut from hilarious to utterly bummed out, and I've always had a thing for songs that are more sad than I am. It gives me a teeny bit of hope.

Anyway, I'm sure my review of this album would have been massively different had I written it when it first came out. I was always very anti-emo, and my naive young self was quick to label anything with the word "love" in it emo, and this album certainly has enough of that.

I suggest you pick up this album if you're ever in the mood for a nostalgic trip back to middle school...or elementary, or where ever you were when you first heard this stuff. I love nostalgia, and I love this album too.

America - History: America's Greatest Hits

2008-01-01T03:03:00.001-08:00

Released in 1975, this album is a compilation of America's greatest hits (at that point) and is their best selling album. And rightly so! America's albums have always been plagued by inconsistency, one incredible song and then a few filler songs that you often skipped over. But History gets rid of that problem and brings you all their essentials.

America has always been one of the best acoustic soft rock bands, and I really love hearing this album. If you do like America, fans will recognize songs like Sister Golden Hair and A Horse With No Name, but I was extremely surprised when I heard some great songs on here that I had never heard before.

After the amazing track Sister Golden Hair is a forgotten classic called Daisy Jane. It's just an incredibly beautiful song that I used to listen to when I wanted to get in a great mood and fall sleep. I even sat down at my piano one night and figured out how to play it, and in the process discovered how beautiful Major 7th chords are.

After Daisy Jane fades out the album ends properly with a disco influenced tune, Woman Tonight. This song too is a classic from the early disco/funk era with America staying true to their style while fusing with the R&B music common at the time. I also love the bass and guitar solo trade off in the middle of the song. This one is really great and worth many listens.

All in all, this album is just a great refresher course on the music of the band America and includes all of the hits, but some of their less known music really made this album for me. You should absolutely own this album.

ABBA - The Visitors

2008-01-01T03:01:00.000-08:00

The Visitors was the last album released from the Swedish pop mega stars ABBA, and this sad fact is more than obvious when listening to this album. It seems as though the boys and girls of ABBA had nothing to be happy about. In real life their marital troubles and divorces had torn the members of ABBA apart, and although they remained productive in the studio, this final album just couldn't lift my spirits at all.

While I admit that the album is a very mature and complex work of art, its just a tragedy to hear. ABBA had lost their youth and the undeniable chemistry that their earlier work had. Both songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus were writing songs that reflected the deep sadness they felt inside, and no matter how beautiful the music was that they wrote, this sentimentality was utterly inescapable.

Other than the obvious sadness of their music, by 1981 ABBA had completely saturated their music with synthesizers which dramatically changed their sound from their early days. A lot of great bands have broken up (or nearly broken up) after venturing into the world of synthesizers, one great example is Black Sabbath and their 1976 album Technical Ecstacy.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is, even though the Visitors is still a perfect pop album with beautiful, full harmonies and great songs, ABBA should never have put so many heart wrenching songs on one album. It's almost a bit painful to have to listen to such heart breaking singing from the girls of ABBA, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Their voices are absolutely perfect and the music is great accompaniment too.

This album is almost comparable to a Shakespearian tragedy when you think about the circumstances surrounding this release and the lives of the artists who made it. I'm just so glad I still have their earlier, more happy releases, but no matter how hard I try, I always end up coming back to this inevitable ending to one of the best pop bands of all time.

ABBA - Arrival

2008-01-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

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Acid House Kings - Sing Along With Acid House Kings

2008-01-01T02:59:00.000-08:00

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The High Llamas - Cold And Bouncy

2008-01-01T02:58:00.000-08:00

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The Honeys - It's Like Heaven

2008-01-01T02:57:00.000-08:00

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Sweet Diss And The Comebacks - Coulda Been Worse

2008-01-01T02:46:00.002-08:00

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My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

2008-01-01T02:46:00.001-08:00

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Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

2008-01-01T02:46:00.000-08:00

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Big Star - Radio City

2008-01-01T02:41:00.000-08:00

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Acid House Kings - The Sound Of Summer

2008-01-01T02:36:00.000-08:00

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Acid House Kings - Mondays Are Like Tuesdays and Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays

2008-01-01T02:35:00.001-08:00

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Free Rocketship Music

2007-12-31T01:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't been this excited in years! Rocketship (my favorite group ever) has released their 2 latest albums absolutely free on their website. Go and download these puppies right now! They're amazing, and even more amazingly impossible to find.

Here Comes...Rocketship (2006 Nonstop Co-operative)

Garden Of Delights (1998 Drive In Records)

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American Spring - Spring...Plus!

2007-12-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

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Belle and Sebastian - Tigermilk

2007-12-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

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Bikeride - Morning Macumba

2007-12-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

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Bikeride - Summer Winners, Summer Losers

2007-12-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

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Bikeride - 37 Secrets I Only Told America

2007-12-25T19:56:00.001-08:00

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Brittle Stars - Brittle Stars

2007-12-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

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The Carpenters - The Singles (1974 - 1978)

2007-12-25T19:54:00.001-08:00

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The High Llamas - Can Cladders

2007-12-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

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La Casa Azul - Como Un Fan EP

2007-12-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

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La Casa Azul - La Revolución Sexual (Preview)

2007-12-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

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La Casa Azul - Tan Simple Como El Amor

2007-12-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

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The Radio Dept - Lesser Matters

2007-12-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

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Rocketship - Singles (1993 - 1996)

2007-12-25T19:38:00.001-08:00

***This is my second favorite album of all time***

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Rocketship - A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness (Japanese Version)

2007-12-25T19:36:00.001-08:00

***This is my favorite album of all time***

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Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life

2007-12-25T19:33:00.001-08:00

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Stevie Wonder - Talking Book

2007-12-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

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The Explorers Club EP

2007-12-25T19:26:00.001-08:00

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The Radio Dept - The Worst Taste In Music EP

2007-12-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

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Sweet Diss and the Comebacks

2007-12-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

Coming from Ellensburg, Washington, Sweet Diss and the Comebacks are one of the best pop punk bands in the world...no, forget that. Sweet Diss and the Comebacks are one of the best bands in the world. Heavily influenced by bands like Green Day and the Travoltas but mixed with just the right amount of influence from Brian Wilson and Queen as well, Nate Reinauer, the band's front man and song writer has been creating perfect pop songs for years.

Sweet Diss and the Comebacks have already released a full length album and an EP, and are releasing their first "official" album soon. I absolutely love Sweet Diss and I'm glad I was recently able to ask Nate all about Sweet Diss, his music, and the new album, I hope you enjoy reading it and downloading the songs below.

Eric: Could you explain a little how Sweet Diss and the Comebacks got started? When and where you formed?

Nate: I started the band with some friends of mine almost three years ago in Connell, WA. We needed a drummer, so we searched around myspace until we found Lori. About a year later it was down to just me and Lori, and we eventually found Nick and Bryan to play bass and lead guitar. We've been going strong ever since!

Eric: Most people probably notice your power pop influences, but Sweet Diss also has a few acoustic and piano songs, what kind of thing do you go for when you're writing a song?

Nate: I usually just try to write a really catchy pop song. The easiest way for me to do that is to put a power-popish skin over it, but sometimes a song will just sound better if you strip it down to piano or acoustic guitar. Most of the time I don't try to write piano songs or acoustic songs... it's just whatever I think might sound best with the melody and chords.

Eric: Sweet Diss and the Comebacks released their first full length album "Coulda Been Worse" in 2005 and sold it at shows, and is also available for free online. And you've also said "Screw Itunes", so does Sweet Diss ever have any intentions of selling their music, either through distributors or online?

Nate: That is an awesome question. I have to think for a minute...

Eric: Haha, Thanks.

Nate: When we finally release our "official" debut album that we're recording right now, we're probably going to start out just selling it at shows, and possibly through iTunes. I can see how that conflicts with the 'screw iTunes' thing on our myspace page, but that was mostly a response to all the Office fans wanting us to put "Pam Pong" on iTunes. I thought it would be lame to make people pay for only one or two songs and not a whole album, so that was my response.

All the recording I do I basically do at my house for free, so I also don't think it's right to make people pay for that when it didn't cost me anything to produce it. The new album coming out was done in a real studio and was actually kind of expensive though, and we'll need a way to support ourselves when we go on tour after releasing it. If a small label comes along and wants to release it for us someday, we'd definitely consider that too!

Eric: That is a good answer!

Nate: Thanks! It was a really good question, and I had to think about it for a while.

Eric: I'd like to ask a little bit about that first album, its an extremely polished first release and from what I understand it's completely independently recorded and mixed by yourself, what was it like to record your own album and mix it? And could you explain how you did it?

Nate: I think one of the main things that makes that one sound really good is the drums... they are actually fake drums that I programmed with my computer in FL Studio. Drums are one of the hardest things to make sound good, so when you start off with fake drums that are sampled to sound like extremely polished real drums, you are off to a good start, sound-wise! That may seem like cheating, and it probably is, but it's just a lot easier to record that way, and much cheaper. In our defense though I usually consider the songs with fake drums "demos" and never sell them (which kind of goes along with the last question). Also, the new album will definitely have Lori playing real drums, which is why I consider it our real "official" debut album.

For the guitars and bass I ran them through a BR-8 zip disk recorder from BOSS to get the distortion and other effects, which then runs directly into the computer. For vocals I used a dynamic mic, which I now know are actually used mostly for live performances. Nowadays I use a condensor microphone, which sounds a hundred times better for recording.

I mixed everything with Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit Pro), which is basically a way cheaper, way easier-to-use version of ProTools. I'd never mixed anything before, so I definitely learned a lot. I spent a lot of time listening to my favorite CDs, trying to match how the levels sounded on those albums. To this day I think I mix vocals way too quiet, but oh well.

Eric: I also wanted to ask about my favorite song off the first album, Something New, in a lot of ways that song represents a lot of the best things about Sweet Diss, the catchy melodies, the hooks, the harmonies and a cappella parts. Could you explain a bit about that song and what it's about and how you wrote it.

Nate: That song basically came from just trying to write a super catchy song. I had been toying around with the lead riff for a while and just kind of built the song around that. Also, I wrote that song when I was first trying to figure out how to fit lots of harmonies into pop-punk songs, so one of the first things I wrote was the 2nd verse a capella thing, and I made the rest of the verse around that. I remember having trouble coming up with a harmony part for the last chorus, but I think it turned out okay. One of Lori's favorite drummers is Travis from Blink 182, so I tried to make the drum part in that style (with the off beat cymbal hits and stuff during the verses). Because of all that stuff with the harmonies and everything, I was a little too eager to record it and kind of rushed through the lyrics without thinking, so the lyrics are pretty terrible (case in point: I basically wrote the lyrics around the phrase "something new" because that's what I called the notepad file when I first started writing the song). It's one of the most fun songs to play live though and we used to start every show with that song. I'm glad you like it!

Eric: After recording your first album you released an EP, "...And Don't Forget To Tip Your Waitress". To me it seemed like a much less optimistic release than the previous, could you explain a little about when these songs were recorded and what it meant for you?

Nate: As with almost everything else in life, it basically came down to girls. From the time I first started seriously writing songs (mid-high school) until right after "Coulda Been Worse" (early college) I had been with the same girl, so pretty much every song I wrote was a happy song. All good things must come to an end, however, and when it did, I think the mood of the songs unintentionally changed too. So when I wrote the songs for "Waitress" I guess they came out a little darker and more bitter than what I was used to writing. I have a strange fear of being emo though so I try not to get too bleak!

Eric: I wanted to ask more about your song writing process, how do you usually go about recording a song? Is it lyrics first, or music? Do you write songs on a guitar or piano? Elaborate a little on how you write songs?

Nate: I actually write songs on napkins and my cell phone, mostly. I usually don't try to sit down and write a song... most times I'll just suddenly get a melody in my head at random times during the day. A lot of the time this happens when I'm busy doing something else, like working, so it's pretty annoying. I have a terrible memory so I have to immediately write it down on something or sing it into my cell phone's voice recorder before it goes away. Then later I'll get a guitar or piano, whichever is closer, and play it over and over, coming up with chords and new melodies. I usually also store these in my phone. (Seriously, you should see my phone... it has like almost 200 ten-second song ideas in it). I usually dread writing lyrics, cause I'm not very good at them and the music is way more fun, but eventually I'll open up a notepad file and come up with words. Once I have all the melodies, chords, and lyrics, I'll try to figure out the order of the song. Usually I go with Verse-PreChorus-Chorus-Verse-PreChorus-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus, but that gets old so sometimes I do something different. I almost always come up with the bass guitar part and vocal harmonies while I'm recording.

Eric: Well when you do write lyrics, how do you decide what topic to write about? Does it depend on the mood of the song or just how you feel at that time?

Nate: A little of both. If the music comes out a little darker and more aggressive, I usually won't write about cotton candy flavored puppy dogs, and if it's happier I probably won't write about genocide or anything. Seriously though, mood has a lot to do with it too. If I'm feeling lonely, or elated, or just happy that it's finally summer time, those things are easier to write about. Lately I've been trying to put a little bit more effort into lyrics, but I guess I won't know how well that's going until people hear the album!

Eric: And one more question about writing, you make heavy use of vocal harmonies and a cappella segments in a lot of songs, how do you go about writing harmonies and recording these different vocal parts?

Nate: I used to hate doing vocal harmonies when I started writing songs, cause they rarely ever sounded good. Through trial and error I gradually started learning "rules" for making them sound better... and listening to Queen and the Beach Boys helps a huge amount too. I studied music for two years in college and some of my "rules" were validated there, and I learned cool ways to break the rules and have it sound even better. The most important rule I learned along the way is that you should never forget what chord the music is playing underneath the vocals when writing harmonies. For instance, if the music is on a C chord, you shouldn't let the vocal harmonies stray too far from the notes C, E, and G. That might seem obvious, but it took me a really long time to figure that out, and my harmonies suffered. Another thing is that I spent a really long time trying to figure out what made Queen harmonies have that signature Queen sound, and what made Beach Boys harmonies have that signature Beach Boys sound. Basically, Queen achieved their sound by overdubbing a ridiculous amount of voices, all singing only 3 or 4 parts, to make it sound like a giant choir of one person. I think I read somewhere that the opening to Bohemian Rhapsody is something like 100 tracks of Freddie Mercury singing the same 4 parts. I try to do that sometimes with like 20 or 30 voices... it's really fun. Beach Boys get their sound by forming really jazzy chords with their voices, and making use of 5 part harmonies, which is really hard to do. I'm still trying to figure out how to make 5 part harmonies sound good. Brian Wilson is insanely brilliant.

Eric: So you went to college for music for 2 years, how was that, and did it have any impact on Sweet Diss and the Comebacks or your song writing?

Nate: It definitely had an impact. Lori and I both went to the same school, and that's also where we found Nick and Bryan, so it was nice having us all in one place. It's really hard to schedule shows though, when everyone has different classes at different times. The music theory classes I took had a huge impact on my songwriting, for sure. I'd learn a cool new chord or unusual chord progression and I'd have to run back to my dorm room and try to work it into a song somehow. Also, people have told me that taking choir helped my singing. I used to be really nasally and bad. Like, really really bad.

Eric: Also, recently you've recorded a couple songs about the show, The Office, that a lot of people really like, what has it been like to record those songs and have other fans really appreciate them?

Nate: Writing the two Office songs was a lot of fun! Since they were just for fun I felt like I had a little more freedom to experiment and try new things. "Pam Pong" is the first 'piano ballad' type song I've ever recorded, and I tried some different things in the vocal harmonies on "Dunder", among other things. The fans seemed to enjoy the songs, and Jenna Fischer (Pam) even had "Pam Pong" on her myspace profile for about a month, which was amazing.

Eric: I wanted to ask about your upcoming CD, fans have been waiting a while for it, so what kind of thing can we expect from your upcoming release, and when will it be ready for release?

Nate: A lot of the songs on the new album will be updated versions of songs people have already heard, but there will be some new songs in their as well. The sound will range from Sexy to Awesome, with a dash of Heroin (for good measure). Recording it has been a very long and bumpy road, but I think the end is in sight. It should be finished before the end of the year, and fans of catchy power-pop should be pleased! Unless it turns out awful. Hopefully it won't!

Eric: I have heard a bit of the new album, and it really is an amazing release and I'm extremely excited for it, but it's also a little bit of a departure from your earlier releases, it's a lot more adventurous musically and a lot more emotional. I wanted to ask about the song She Could Call Me Tonight, which is up on your myspace, it's one of my favorite songs, period. Could you explain what that one is about, and how it was to write it?

Nate: Thanks, I'm glad you like it! That song is about someone who has just gone through a breakup and then meeting someone new, and finding that he can't stop thinking about the girl he broke up with. At the beginning he's saying the new girl he met could call him tonight, but by the last chorus, he's just waiting for the girl he broke up with to call him instead. Not really based on any real experiences, I just thought it might be fun to actually make a small story. It was a lot of fun writing the music, cause it's basically just a pure pop song. The new version of that which will be on the final album is a little bit different; I added some piano and more acoustic guitar, and changed some of the parts a little. Also, Lori will be singing on some of it, which should be sweet!

Eric: And I wanted to ask the same thing about The Terminal. It's the closer to the new album, and a really expressive song. It really feels like you're singing about something that happened between you and a girl, I've noticed that your whole discography seems to be following a relationship, starting with the optimism of "All That's Green" to the sheer emptiness of loss in "The Terminal". Could you explain what that song is really about, and if I'm just being a raving lunatic?

Nate: You are correct! and The Raving Lunatix would be an awesome band name. If it's not already one. I would change my name to Lenny Lunatic. Anyway... The Terminal probably has the most honest and personal lyrics I have ever written, which is why I tried to cover them up with airplane metaphors. I usually tell people that my songs are on average, 50% true and 50% made-up, but this one is 100% true. Which means one of our songs is probably completely made-up, to even it out and make the average work. Seriously though, the song is basically relating a relationship to an airplane trip, starting with a bumpy lift-off and ending with the main character being alone in the terminal again. I realize that sounds really emo, but sometimes life can get pretty emo on you. By the way, "Life Gets Emo On You" should be The Raving Lunatix first album.

Eric: So after the new album is released, what do you plan to do with the band, and what are your plans for the future with Sweet Diss and the Comebacks?

Nate: As soon as we're done with the album, we'll probably put it up on iTunes or something like that, and send copies of it to all of our favorite record labels. We're definitely planning on doing a gigantic tour across the US in support of it also (hopefully next Spring), regardless of whether or not we are lucky enough to get signed or get a distribution deal of some kind. It's taken over a year so far from the start of the album to the finish, so I've already got a bunch of new songs in various stages of completion for a second album.

Eric: That's really awesome...and thats about it!! So thanks a ton!

Nate: Thank you dude!

* * *

Listen and download some tracks from Sweet Diss and the Comebacks

visit their myspace
download their first album free
buy some music

p.s. Sweet Diss' latest EP, ...and don't forget to tip your waitress can also be purchased at the Itunes Music store!

Fred Rogers

2007-12-10T14:16:00.001-08:00

One of the most amazing people to ever live was Fred Rogers, host of the television series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". As a kid I watched Fred Rogers, and today I watched his show again and was brought to tears. Aside from being a brilliant composer and pianist, Mr. Rogers cared deeply for children and reminded us every day that we are special and unique and there will never be anyone like us ever again. And he liked us just the way we are now.

I found this tribute to him on youtube, I thought I would share it.

i can't resist this one either =]

The Heavy Blinkers - Try Telling That To My Baby

2007-11-27T23:08:00.000-08:00

Review: The Wrong Button - Stephen Newcombe

2007-11-25T03:03:00.000-08:00

Back in 2005 Stephen Newcombe had finished the album The Wrong Button, the 3rd in a trilogy of albums that nearly scored him a recording contract (although the details of that story are a tad bit vague).

I just recently found Stephen's album, as it was emailed to me, but sometimes first impressions can mean everything. And such was the case with The Wrong Button. The album is a pure salute to analog recording and Indie production. Right from the first song, the highly symbolic and ambient song "If it's not broken", Stephen Newcombe foreshadows dark and wonderful things to come. The album begins with peculiar laughing over a music box, until the character of the album is suddenly awakened from what seems to be a dream. A radio turns on and plays a strange organ song as thunder and rain quickly dawn on him. He begins to walk away as a telephone is heard in the distance. He walks toward it as the thunder and rain begin to pour heavier on the man. He opens a door and enters, locking out the rain. He answers the phone to hear the other end quickly hang up.

And that's the way this album starts!

We're off to a very strange, vivid beginning. Moving into the first song "Automata", Stephen makes a very dense production with backing vocals, varied percussion, bells, flutes, and an arsenal of other instruments. Throughout the album Stephen uses such a wide variety of instruments that could surprise Brian Wilson himself.

The album truly is an eccentric piece of work. Complex musical arrangements, complex production, and a very developed story line. The album has strange, yet beautiful interludes between nearly every song, and between nearly every interlude! And while it may seem like this large amount of story building could take away from the songs, The Wrong Button manages something that almost no one can do. It immerses you inside it.

This album is meant to be listened to from start to finish, with no breaks in between. It really is a trip. The interludes between the songs truly drag you in and keep you waiting patiently for the next song. And when the songs do come on the album shines even more. Dark sections of scary organ are alleviated by jazz piano and loads of doo doo doo's. The album can really bring you full circle from fear to tears to comical laughs.

But the true power of Stephen's song writing hit me at track 5. The track "Sing For Us" scares the living hell out of me. The track is almost a funeral hymn played with guitar, bells, organ and several other instruments. But the truly eerie part are the babies he recorded and looped over the song. Stephen Newcombe practically forces you to think about the frailty of birth, life and death. But if that song is too scary, he loosens up with the Edward Scissorhands-esque "Rolling Away". The backing vocals of ladies in this song work perfectly with the bongos and bass that drive this song.

Around the middle part of the album things continue smoothly, even introducing some laughs on the track "Careful, You'll Fall". But as with most things in this album, the smiles quickly fade as one of the albums strongest tracks "Talking To Myself" appears. This song, which went to #5 on Garageband.com a while back is much more pop than most of the songs, and even feels a bit jazzy to me, but Stephen really explores on this track and flexes all of his musical muscles to deliver nearly a full 6 minutes of music.

From this point on the album focuses a lot more on the story telling aspect of the album, picking up on concepts earlier in the album (the caller on the phone who hung up?). And while I would love to write about it, it's much more fun to figure it out alone.

The album ends with the goofiest track of the album, Space Rocket. The song screams child hood, but remains as sophisticated as the rest of his songs. He creatively crafts a middle section of this song to suddenly turn to a dark a cappella section, then suddenly return to the former anthem for children. The song continues to change to simple talking with altered voices before moving to another section with keyboard and accordian. As the final words "nothing ever ends, it's all just unresolved..." the album fades out and it does feel more than a bit unresolved.

I was completely mesmerized by this album, and to say that I couldn't figure it out sort of bugs me. The album is so complex, and so deep, that I'm not sure I will ever be able to fully relate to it. I really don't know what the heck he is talking about a lot of times. But should that stop you from trying? Absolutely not! Stephen Newcombe's latest album is outstanding! It is absolutely beautiful and moving, and I hope he finds the ambition (or whatever it may be that he needs) to make some more music A.S.A.P.

Fortunately, Stephen has made his whole album available for free on his blog.

Download the album now!

Preview some tracks here.

Brittle Stars

2007-11-21T23:32:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I haven't had anytime to upload this blog recently and for that I am sorry. I have moved from Western Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island. I went to college here and its really great to be back in time for Thanksgiving to be around my friends. I have my own place and I've got to get a job soon as well!

So despite all this I've decided to spend more time updating this blog. I'm also happy to announce I am dropping my third server, Mediafire, in place of the new www.Divshare.com. You'll notice it's much better, and you can now listen to songs even before downloading them! I'm also hoping my files won't disappear!

Anyway, I'm writing this time about a band I've gotten into called Brittle Stars. Coming from Gainesville, FL, Brittle Stars' name alone sheds light onto their sound and the musicians behind it; something terribly beautiful but incredibly delicate. The songs Brittle Stars make are often filled with feelings of hurt, disappointment and bitter sweet romance, yet never come off as being too wrapped up in its own sentimentality.

In 1999 the band released their self titled album on Shelflife records. The music is purely indie pop, with jangling guitars, synth riffs that never feel out of place and beautiful singing by keyboardist Estelle. The band has since broken up and singer Estelle has hence moved to Israel then to New York City where she is one half of the band Elephant Parade.

There is also a rumor floating around that Brittle Stars could be getting together for a reunion in May of 2008!

p.s. I found this photo of Estelle in New York! Isn't it nice? See ya soon.

Adam Deibert

2007-11-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

Meet Adam Deibert.

Adam has been one of my favorite musicians for years, much of that time without me even realizing it. As a member of both The Aquabats and Bikeride, Adam has worked with these groups to help define their sound that I've been enjoying for years.

I first heard the Aquabats in the 7th or 8th grade. The album "The Aquabats Vs. The Floating Eye Of Death" had just been released and one of my friends shared it with me. With most great albums it took a few listens to truly understand and enjoy, it took me even longer to realize that much of that great music had been written by Adam Deibert.

It wasn't until 2001 when Adam was recognized as a solo artist when he created his own act, Digital Unicorn, to open for the Aquabats as a replacement for an opening band that dropped out from the tour. Adam released an album that year as Digital Unicorn titled "Theirs Travel Began and Loaded the Dream".

Since then Adam has left the Aquabats, but continued to stay busy releasing albums with Bikeride and for the last year or so has started another solo project "Call Sound Call Noise". Adam has released another solo album in 2007, the self titled Call Sound Call Noise album. While the sound of the 2 albums differ, Adam Deibert is a musical genius capable of creating any type of music he chooses and continues to be a valuable player in the Southern California indie scene.

Adam also does the voice for the character Muno The Cyclops on the Nick Jr. series Yo Gabba Gabba. And even though Adam is so busy, he was nice enough to take the time to answer some questions I sent him. I'm a little bit embarrassed because I thought he was born in Lithuania! Turns out he made up a story behind Digital Unicorn that you can read here. Keep reading for my interview with Adam Deibert.

Eric: Adam, I wanted to know a little bit more about you. You mention in your manifesto for Digital Unicorn that you are originally from the country of Lithuania. What was it like growing up there?

Adam: Ah, the myth and the man. I created a back story for “Mann” of Digital Unicorn because it sounded like fun. He’s a late-Soviet era artist age 23-40 who has moved to various places around the world in his quest to create. This was in 1999 and Lithuania seemed like a nice place for him to be from.

Eric: In 1990 you moved from Lithuania to Montreal, Canada. Why Montreal?

Adam: So Mann moves to Montreal after the fall of the USSR. This was a period of time when Montreal was hurting due to a major financial recession. Seemed like a good time for Mann to go there and make music. Around 1998-1999 I wanted to move there in real life but never made it happen. Now it’s very much on everyone's radar and it went from ridiculously cheap for Americans to visit, to expensive with the whole 1 to 1 US dollar to CA dollar ratio.

Eric: After living in Montreal you moved to New Orleans for a while and then you ended up in Southern California. What was happening at this time that caused all this moving, and what sorts of music were you working on at this time?

Adam: New Orleans seemed like the next place for Mann to go due to its French-Creole heritage. The just-pre-Digital Unicorn band I was in named “Dig Bunny” had a song called New Orleans. The only time we played that song we had the sax player solo while he sat on the bar, then a drum machine played a drum solo while the band took a break. I have it on video, it needs to be digitized and thrown into youtube.

Eric: I know you studied at UCSB as a music major. When did you start studying there, and did you ever receive your degree?

Adam: I started to think about majoring in music the first time I went there in 1995-97, but thought a B.S. in Geography was more my bag. Then I took 3 years off to play in The Aquabats and realized, yeah, I’d like to major in music, if I don’t, I’ll regret it. So I went back in 2000 and finished in 2003.

Eric: You are very well known for being "Prince Adam" of the Aquabats from 1994 - 2005. How did you meet the other members of the Aquabats and form the group?

Adam: I met them at a party in 1994 and asked them if I could play accordion. They said “Nah, but you can play trumpet right? Come play trumpet” So I came and played trumpet and from there we made magic.

Eric: Could you explain what your responsibilities were in the band? I know you wrote many of the Aquabats songs, so, what were some of your favorite songs with the Aquabats?

Adam: My responsibilities started as "guy who will hopefully show up and play horn lines" to "guy who writes some songs and fills in the gaps on a few instruments". My favorite Aquabats songs are: Playdough, Cat with 2 Heads, the Floating Eye of Death album, Sandy Face, Tiger Rider vs the Time Sprinkler, and Look at me I’m a Winner.

Eric: You left the Aquabats in 2005 to start your own career, but you have continued to stay close to the other members of the band, even occasionally performing on stage since your departure. How has your relationship changed with the band members since leaving?

Adam: We’re buddies. I don’t see some of them as much as I’d like. Some I see often and it’s great. I even talk to most of the guys who left the band before I left on a semi-regular basis.

Eric: One thing I wanted to ask you about was something you wrote in your departure letter to the fans of the Aquabats. You mentioned you would be writing songs for commercials. Have you composed any songs for commercials yet?

Adam: At the time I had just been “hired” on to do overflow work as a freelance composer for a company that does music for commercials. About 2 weeks later they completely restructured the way they operated. The freelance guys were structured out of the picture. So, in conclusion no music was ever written for a commercial by me.

Eric: You are in another very popular indie band, Bikeride. Why did you choose to stay with Bikeride? And what is it like being a part of an actual band, as opposed to being a solo artist?

Adam: Bikeride has a workload of about .75 compared to the Aquabats which varies from 5 to 10. It's very low key and consists of 4 guys who really enjoy playing together rehearsing a few times a year and recording an album over an average of 3 years. There's a lot less pressure applied by yourself as one of the cogs of a band. You give input on band decisions and play your part, as opposed to solo projects where every last, minute detail is up to you.

Eric: You are the genius behind 2 solo projects, Digital Unicorn and Call Sound Call Noise. DU released its album "Theirs Travel Began and Loaded the Dream" in 2001. What was going on at that period in your life that inspired this release, and why has DU not released anything in 6 years?

Adam: The DU thing happened spontaneously really. It was the summer of 2001 and I planned to work on stuff similar to what became CSCN, plus Aquabats demos, but turned upside down and wrote the last few DU songs. Most were written in 1999. Christian helped me a lot putting the record out and, to misquote, said "hey, you finished a Digital Unicorn album, let's put it out!" Parker Jacobs then helped with the art and out it came. Since then I've been meaning to do another album, but it takes a certain amount of magic that has yet to be accumulated.

Eric: Your newest project Call Sound Call Noise is absolutely amazing. I adore your new 10 track album. The sound is a very radical departure from Digital Unicorn. Why did you feel the need to have 2 solo projects? And which project do you like better?

Adam: Thank you. Digital Unicorn is more the comedy/faux-performance art experience. It was meant to be an "is that guy serious" affair, and that cat has been let out of its proverbial bag. Most people know it's not for real now which makes it slightly less fun. Still up there on the fun scale though. I knew that for more "serious" music I needed a separate entity. CSCN is more "Hi, my name is Adam and here is some music." I'm not sure which one I like better yet. I like them differently...

Eric: Some of my personal favorites from the Call Sound Call Noise album are Tear Down The Glass Walls, Rancor Aweigh, Minute King, and Hi_1999. What was your inspiration for the album, and how do you go about recording your songs?

Adam: Most of the inspiration was anxiety, then the passing of time, stucco walls. Maybe a little unrequited love sneaks in very veiled. Musically I wanted to do something different, and I almost did it, but it didn't come across quite like I wanted. A little too safe. I'll keep working at that. There were things I knew I didn't want to do on the album like use the words "I" and "she" and strum a guitar. Also putting words in superfluously to make things rhyme or be hamfistedly catchy. I finally strummed a guitar on the last song I wrote for the album, Waits and Measures. I couldn't help it, so I just let it happen. I also used the word "I" in that one... Minute King and Hi_1999 were actually written in 1999 and added at the very last second. I woke up one night and realized they needed to be on the album. The next day I called the place where it was getting mastered and mailed a CD with those 2 songs and I think 2 others.

As for writing/recording the songs, I'm not sure. Usually I start writing on a guitar or piano, then if I started on guitar I switch to piano and vice versa to take out any cliche overly obvious guitar-y or piano-y stuff. Then the computer comes in and I use it to make sounds and rearrange things. Like most people these days I recorded it all at home.

Eric: You are also doing the voice of Muno the Cyclops on the Nick Jr. Series Yo Gabba Gabba. The show is largely based on a television series that you and the other members of the Aquabats were trying to get on tv for years. How does it feel to finally be a part of an on-air television series?

Adam: It still doesn't seem real. I see it on TV and say out loud "really?" The whole production definitely had a DIY vibe that made it feel like it was being made outside the normal studio system. Which I guess it was for the most part.

Eric: You also compose and remix songs for the show as well, in addition to voice acting. How much time does that leave you for making other music and performing live?

Adam: Um, since last November zero. The music part of the show, every aspect of the show really, took a lot of time and hard work for all involved. Much was learned. I somehow put out the CSCN album myself last spring in the middle of everything. But right now I have a little time off so I'm preparing for more recording as well as some live CSCN shows.

Eric: Lastly, what plans do you have for the future as far as television, music and your career? And what about your personal life? Are you getting married any time soon?

Adam: Well, I'll keep doing Yo Gabba Gabba as long as I can. Hopefully other kids TV stuff too. Some people find it annoying but it is really rewarding writing positive songs that kids can grow up with. I think it's probably more rewarding than scoring reality shows. However, I would ultimately like to do some non-kids TV/film so I'm not deeply burrowed into the pigeon hole. I am definitely doing another CSCN album and if I can gather enough mystical poultices I'll do another DU album. Of course, putting out albums yourself=losing money, so I'd like to start playing live more. I'm coming off a 10 month Yo Gabba Gabba whirlwind of non-stop work so my social life needs rekindling. Marriage? Not very soon.

* * *

Adam's last show with the Aquabats, showing off his hand farting skills to the Star Wars Theme.

Adam also teaches you not to bite your friends on Yo Gabba Gabba.

Check out the Digital Unicorn Myspace here.
Also check out the official site here.
And buy the CD here!

Check out the Call Sound Call Noise Myspace here.
Also check out the official site here.
And buy the CD here!

Also go check out Bikeride if you have the time!

See you next time!

The Carpenters

2007-10-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

Most people on Earth have heard of the Carpenters. Maybe they don't specifically know any of their songs off hand, but all anyone needs to hear are just a few seconds of any of their big hits (Close To You, We've Only Just Begun, Sing, Hurting Each Other, etc.) before saying "Ah! I've heard this!"

And that's just the kind of band the Carpenters were. Either absolutely loved or completely overlooked. At the time of the Carpenters biggest success the main stream was rejecting the Carpenters wholesome image and pure pop productions. America was being swept up in the post-hippie, anti-Vietnam rock scene. So while The Carpenters were being seen as completely uncool (especially after accepting to perform for President Nixon in 1973) they were unmoved by the music scene around them and continued to make the same beautiful music they had started making. By today's standards, that's pretty cool.

I've never really been one for using big words, so I will try to say this as simply as possible. The Carpenters are beautiful. Everything about their music represents pop music at it's best.

The Carpenters were brothers Richard and Karen Carpenter. Richard had taken lessons for piano as a child and by his teenage years was extremely talented at his instrument. Karen had started learning Jazz drums in her teen years as well. And the two had made a jazz trio in the mid 60s called The Richard Carpenter Trio. However, by 1968 The Carpenters had dropped the Jazz trio and formed the pop group we all know.

They were signed to A&M Records by 1969 and released their first album "Offerings". The single from the album was a ballad cover of The Beatles hit "Ticket To Ride". Check out the video for it below (the video was shot on Karen's 20th Birthday).

However, the album did not sell well, but their next album 1970's Close To You proved to be a huge success. (Read a brief article about the Carpenters from a magazine in 1970) The album reached #2 on the US charts. After the success of their second album The Carpenters had been forced into a lifestyle of constant pressure to perform and to record new material, with the majority of this pressure being placed onto Richard, the group's main composer.

During the next decade The Carpenters enjoyed massive success, but also had their share of problems. Richard had become addicted to quaaludes, which he recovered from. However Karen, who had been struggling with anorexia for years, died from the illness in 1983.

The diversity and the impact of The Carpenters music make them still popular today. Whether you're smiling ear to ear or crying from lost love (and yes, they have made me cry) you need The Carpenters if you care about anything at all in the world.

Go buy some albums here!
Check out Richard Carpenter's website as well!

and lastly, this is so cute! The Carpenters play Sing in Japan in 1974 with a little kids choir in Japanese! =D

Paul Steel

2007-10-23T03:38:00.001-07:00

*you can listen and download music with this widget below*
(p.s. I have permission to host and share these files)

Meet Paul Steel.

Coming from Brighton, England, Paul Steel is a 20 year old multi instrumentalist who writes his own blend of neo-psychadelic pop and rock that has awarded him not only a major record deal, but accolades from the likes of Van Dyke Parks and Sean O'Hagan (of the High Llamas).

I first found Paul's music by accident in the smiley smile forums. As Paul and I are both Beach Boys fans Paul had posted a video of him performing the Brian Wilson classic Surfs Up on a British television show (which you can watch here). I posted my horrible cover as well to much embarrassment. Since then I've been in love with Paul Steel and have been able to follow him as his career has taken off.

Last May Paul released his debut album, April and I, a concept album about a boy and his imaginary friend as they struggle to grow up. In actuality, April and I is one long 27 minute song, a ridiculously ambitious and genius first release. Check out the video for Paul's Honkin'(On My Crackpipe).

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to talk to Paul through MSN and ask him a few questions about his first album, and his upcoming album, Moon Rock.

Eric: So the band name is Paul Steel. But it is an actual band, who are the members of the band, and what do they do?

Paul: It's Rachael Wood on lead guitar and backing vocals... she's a rock goddess from outer space. Makoto Kano on bass… our Japanese low frequency master. Andy Nixon on drums and backing vocals... the band "dad". And Alani Gibbon and Gemma Carre on backing vocals and percussion... the "Steelettes" maybe?!

Eric: Haha. When did you start playing music, and what made you want to become an artist?

Paul: After reluctantly learning piano pretty young I decided I wanted to be Jonny Greenwood and started learning guitar when I was about 14. I was in a few school bands and started getting into the Brighton live scene, then when I was about 17/18 I saw Brian Wilson do smile at RFH and it blew my mind. So after reassembling my head I decided I wanted to be an artist/producer.

Eric: Could you explain what RFH is for our American friends, and maybe a little about the show, I'm sure a lot of readers are terribly interested in that little detail.

Paul: Oh sure. It's the Royal Festival Hall in London where Brian Wilson premiered Smile which is his 37 year overdue masterpiece. I went to the show being a casual fan of the Beach Boys but hearing Smile as a complete piece after hearing all the bootlegs was a very religious experience and gave me a kick up the arse in terms of what kind of artist I wanted to be.

Eric: That’s amazing. And you're currently signed to Polydor and Fascination Records, how did you manage that?

Paul: I was always interested in recording and production and I'd had a crack at demoing my own songs at home on my family computer. I gave them to everyone I thought would like it and it ended up in the hands of a few labels. So then I spent a while talking to different labels and recruited my band from the future to perform the songs live.

Eric: So now its no secret how much you admire Brian Wilson and his Smile album, how did it feel to get praise from the likes of the Wondermints and Van Dyke Parks?

Paul: I'm very honoured that they even listened to it. I'm a fan of both the Wondermints and Van Dyke Parks in their own right. Song Cycle by VDP is like a sort of Dickensian masterpiece and has been extremely overlooked and the Wondermints Bali album soundtracked a lot of my trips to college, so having them write back to me after hearing my stuff was very special.

Eric: You've also been able to play all over, and I've seen your video podcast from Japan (check it out, part 1, 2, 3), what's it like touring and what are some of your favorite places so far?

Paul: Touring is a very unique experience because you get to perform your music to people that you would otherwise never ever meet. It's definitely the most labourious part of my job but also the most unpredictable. I have very, very fond memories of playing in Japan. It was overwhelming going to a country that is so far removed from what I'm used to. And we managed to pull one of the best crowds we've ever had.

Eric: That’s pretty outstanding, and I personally loved April and I, your first album, I think its insanely complex musically, and very emotionally moving for a first release, what inspired you to make that album?

Paul: I was a little bit bored of writing 3/4 minute pop songs at the time and wanted to do something radical and self-indulgent to keep me sane. I was listening to lots of symphonic music like Rhapsody in Blue and Song Cycle by Van Dyke Parks and was really interested in the idea of recurring melodic themes and stuff like that. I wanted to see how it would work in a sort of lo-fi bedroom pop format.

Eric: You also have posted the album to listen to in it's entirety on myspace (which can be heard here), so having done that, how do you feel about your music being shared over the internet and all these threats from the RIAA, etc?

Paul: I don’t have a problem with it. I've discovered some of my favourite music on the internet. It's a very uncertain time for record companies at the moment and I think it's time for a new business model that can work around the inevitability of people downloading music illegally. As long as I can pay my bills and get that Curb Your Enthusiasm boxset I've got my eye on then I'll be happy.

Eric: I wanted to ask about one track in particular off of April and I, the title track April and I, I really love that one, the breakdown, and the woo woo woo section afterward, and the instrumental break, and it just seamlessly molds in to Worst day, every song just has so many parts, can you explain a little how you go about writing songs and arranging them?

Paul: I wrote April and i linearly (is that even a word?). I started with the intro which became the main theme of the piece and worked my way through each song to the end track. So the chord that one song would end on would dictate the first chord of the next one. I basically arrange in my head as I write them. Every melodic instrumental part is as important to me as the vocal melody is.

Eric: Haha, I suppose I'm not at that level yet musically, But now your new album just came out, Moon Rock, and it really is brilliant, how have things been since moon rock came out?

Paul: It's not actually out yet. It's been put back to early next year due to some complications. I'm very eager to see what people think of it. I think it's a marmite album. I think some people will like it and some people will pin it on their dartboard.

Eric: Ooh sorry about that! The SINGLE for Your Loss came out September 3rd, my mistake. But anyway I wanted to ask about your recent injury, how did that happen, and what has life been since then?

Paul: Me and the band were supporting Air Traffic at the Electric Ballroom in London. It was basically the start of our tour and in our last song Ray Gun we do an acid techno rave and jump around like hyperactive mentalists. I did a big jump and landed on the side of my foot and fractured my 5th metatarsal twice so we had to cancel the tour. I feel like a bit of an idiot to be honest. A crippled idiot.

Eric: That's a bit of a Wayne Rooney thing to have happen huh?

Paul: It is! That's the upside really. Only he's a national treasure who has been a victim to his own athletic bravery. I'm a local moron who did it cause I dance like a freak. I was hoping I'd bump into him at the fracture clinic. I'm sure he goes private though, haha.

Eric: Haha, I also wanted to ask about a couple more songs. In particular, Your Loss, it has a really intense driving organ in it, and an incredible breakdown around 1:45, can you explain a little bit about how that song was written and what it represents for you?

Paul: I wrote it when I was in one of my school bands. We used to play it about 5x faster cause we wanted to be Supergrass or something. Instead of the breakdown you hear now we used to have this ridiculously long psychedelic guitar solo like Dukes of Stratosphere used to do. Because I was getting into more electronic music at the time of rerecording it I decided to put a four on the floor 808 bass drum down and do a lush Steely Dan style vocal thingy.

Eric: …And my favorite song, The Way You Are, its just so deep and amazing, I feel like it really competes with some of the best ballads of all time. What were you thinking when you wrote that one, and could you explain a little bit more about it?

Paul: Ah! Thank you. Musically I was listening to lots of the great 20th century songwriters like Gershwin, Bacharach and more recently Rufus Wainwright so I think there's a lot of that in there. It's kind of about wanting to change the world but realizing that I have to change as an individual. The middle bit is a not so subtle reference to Rhapsody In Blue.

Eric: That’s really awesome, I love Burt Bacharach and Rufus Wainwright. And I guess lastly, what do you have planned for the future? Will there be a new album soon?

Paul: Whilst my foot is out of action I'm mainly planning on playing computer football and eating biscuits. I'm also doing some music for Telstar, the movie about Joe Meek who is a legendary 60s producer… the British Phil Spector. I'm hopefully going to reschedule our tour. There's talk of maybe doing an EP to be released after the Moon Rock campaign. I'm also working on songs for the next album... I'm planning on doing something with a similar format to April & I. But still trying to piece it all together. Oh, and I Will Make You Disappear is the next single to be released over here in January.

Eric: Could you tell me a little about it (the songs you‘re writing)?

Paul: Well I'm playing with basic ideas at the moment but it's going to be another weird psychedelic adventure. I've been reading a lot about Illuminati and weird alien mind control theories and stuff so I'm hoping for it to be quite a retro-futuristic science fiction kind of thing with more synths and electronics. The audio equivalent of the Jetsons maybe, haha. I dunno.

Eric: Haha. That sounds amazing. Well I'm wicked psyched for it, and for Moon Rock. And thanks a ton for answering all that for me.

Paul: No worries man it was fun. Hope you got what you needed.

* * *

Paul Steel's new video for the single Your Loss is finished as well. Check it out!

Check out www.paulsteelmusic.com to download the track Crossed The Line.
Also go add Paul's Myspace!

First post

2007-10-01T10:05:00.001-07:00

Hello,

I'm Eric Warncke. I used to run a blog on the Beach Boys. You can view it here.

I love to play piano, and sleep, and I have an adorable kitten as well. You'll often find me laughing about stupid things, or putting potato salad on french bread.

I've decided to start a blog that focuses on pop music. No, not top 40 music, but independent music that Pitchfork doesn't have the courage to cover.

Feel free to email me with your favorite artists so I can write about them and share them with everyone!

- Eric