Radio Free Berry 01.25.05
Posted by Brian Berry on 01.25.2006
A TON of new releases dropped this week. Radio Free Berry delivers the skinny on the quietest & LOUDEST independent albums released on January 24 from such acts as Cat Power, Test Icicles, and two side projects from members of Rilo Kiley.
IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS…
Welcome to the ninth edition of Radio Free Berry. You can look to RFB for the freshest indie/college rock reviews, up to the minute news, tour and new release dates, and a pig's trough of disorganized running-at-the-mouth on music related issues.
The Table of Contempt will serve as tour guide for your voyage through the land of Radio Free Berry.
The main focus of this week's column is the many new releases that dropped on Tuesday. Not since the week after Thanksgiving has so many albums flooded the market, some delicious and some inedible. Below you'll find a rundown on everything from a Nintendo obsessed band called The Advantage to the white soul of Cat Power, the anthemic spazzcore of Test Icicles, and two side projects from members of Rilo Kiley, amongst many other new albums.
1. NEW RELEASE BONANZA!!!
Tuesday January 24th (one day prior to the posting of this column), marks the first week of 2006 where a beleaguering army of new releases hit record shops.
In an effort to aid the Radio Free Berry reader towards a hipper (I'll look that one up after press time) level of musical consciousness, I've dedicated a great deal of time toward exposing many of these new releases. All of these artists have made an impression on me for better or worse.
So when you walk into [local record store name], you can go straight to [band name]'s section, grab the album, and save yourself an hour of life you can spend doing [leisure activity] instead. Here you are…
The Advantage-The Advantage (5RC)
Named after the cumbersome Nintendo Entertainment System joystick, The Advantage exclusively plays covers of video game themes from the 80's (this sounds like bullshit but I swear it's the truth). The results of this experiment are post-rock songs with a jazz flair, which sound remarkably faithful to the originals despite the use of guitar, bass, and drums. Their second album includes covers of songs from Double Dragon II, Metroid, and Castlevania II, amongst others. With the drummer from Hella on the skins, how could you go wrong?
Akimbo-Forging Steel and Laying Stone (Alternative Tentacles)
Their label says Akimbo are, "hungrily devouring the corpses of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Who; dissecting the still quivering bodies of Black Flag and The Jesus Lizard; infusing the essence of the still beating heart of The Melvins."
From what I've heard, Akimbo's sludgy hardcore sound is more akin to the latter three bands than the classic rock titans also mentioned. With that said, I find their music easier less monotonous than Black Flag, more listenable in huge chunks than The Melvins, and well, I can't say a bad thing about The Jesus Lizard so that comparison I'll leave in tow. Akimbo is currently on tour opening for the very loud Plot To Blow Up the Eiffel Tower and later An Albatross.
Richard Ashcroft -Keys To the World (EMI) Keys To The World is the third solo album by the former frontman of the prolific 90's Britpop group, The Verve. I expect this, like all of Ashcroft's music, to be slightly less impressive than any of The Verve's albums.
Karl Blau -Beneath Waves (K Records)
Multi-instrumentalist Karl Blau's first full length (he has been a contributor to Pacific Northwest bands like Mt. Eerie and The Microphones in the past) is a solid effort at times recalling Neutral Milk Hotel, Donovan, or even a lo-fi Brian Wilson. Blau is a work horse, touring up and down the coast from Washington to California in an endless conquest to infiltrate listeners with inexpensive shows of the highest quality.
Cat Power-The Greatest (Matador)
For my dollar, Chan Marshall is the most impressive vocalist in music today. On her first album in three years, Cat Power (a pseudonym for Marshall) employs an all-star team of Memphis studio musicians to back her up, including Teenie Hodges who played guitar for Al Green.
I listened to a full preview of The Greatest on My Space.com and found the album less sparse and slightly more optimistic than any of her previous efforts. Expect more of the haunting and personal sound that has made Cat Power one of the biggest names in independent music.
East West Blast Test-Popular Music For Unpopular People (Ipecac)
You know if it's on Mike Patton's (ex-Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) label, it's gotta be completely berserk. EWBT is a bass/drums duo consisting of former Spazz musician Chris Dodge and some other dude. If you've ever heard Spazz or any other grind band you know how fast and loud the music is (re: makes heavy metal sound like lounge music). EWBT sound like a three car pile-up of noise, prog, and Tex Avery cartoon music. I recommended EWBT to fans of Patton's Fantomas and other fringe bands of the ilk.
The Elected- Sun Sun Sun (Sub Pop)
"Recorded largely in motel rooms while singer/songwriter Blake Sennett was on tour with his other band, Rilo Kiley, the album is propelled by the kind of unsettled, exploratory impetus that is only native to the American open road." –Sub Pop Records
Sun Sun Sun is a country-tinged pop album from California, recorded on 70's hi-fi equipment that gives their sound a rustic, yet dramatic feel. The album is uneven overall, with a handful of throwaway tracks. When Sennett nails a tune though, he does so with a fervor reminiscent of Gram Parsons. Highlights include "Would You Come With Me" and "Not Going Home." Trivia note: Sennett played "Joey the Rat" on the sitcom Boy Meets World.
Film School-Film School (Beggar's Banquet)
Film School are a San Francisco quintet who sound like many of the great shoegazer bands in a blender (My Bloody Valentine, Mercury Rev, etc.) as fronted by Stephen Malkmus on ‘ludes. I don't know if that description is flattering or not, but I meant it to sound as cool and positive as possible.
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins-Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love)
This is Lewis' (Rilo Kiley vocalist & co-songwriter, Goldie Hawn's daughter in Troop Beverly Hills) first "solo" album.
Hey! What's that sound? Don't worry, it's just Dusty Springfield turning over in her grave…and Dolly Parton just kicked the can after hearing two tracks off Rabbit Fur Coat.
Generally speaking, I keep harsh words about albums to a minimum but Rabbit Fur Coat is a contrived and utterly soulless album of, uh, "soul-tinged country" tunes that make this reporter regret covering this release a couple weeks back. Not recommended.
Pansy Division-Essential Pansy Division (Alternative Tentacles)
Old school, queercore band who were an opening act on Green Day's Dookie tour. This is a retrospective album featuring many of the songs that (almost) made them a household name. One of the better pop-punk bands of the early 90's.
Pearls And Brass-Indian Tower (Drag City)
Pennsylvania stoner rock band for fans of Blue Cheer, Kyuss, and Fu Manchu. Prggrgrrgggrrggggglllleeessshhhhhhhh…(that's supposed to be the sound of a bong hit). Quit bogarting the Pearls And Brass, bro.
Robert Pollard-From A Compound Eye (Merge)
Lyrics that don't make sense? Check. Hooks that make all mod bands drool with envy? Check. Faux British accent? Check. Solo stuff sounds like his former band, Guided By Voices? Check. Pollard delivers his first post-GBV album of many, many short songs. Fans of GBV surely won't be disappointed with this double album.
Some Girls-Heaven's Pregnant Teens (Epitaph/ADA)
This ain't your mother's hardcore. Featuring members of the brutal new school hardcore bands American Nightmare, The Locust, and Plot To Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, Some Girls are a carefully timed, robotic supergroup of loud musicians intent on pulverizing the listener. Two years ago I would've loved this album. I'm just too old and happy to get into this painfully noisy music nowadays.
Test Icicles-For Screening Purposes Only (Domino)
Based on the few songs I've heard by Test Icicles, these youngsters are making some really kick ass music. They're have a spazzy hardcore sound mixed with 80's anthem metal. Think Blood Brothers collaborating with Andrew W.K. and you're in the right neighborhood. I can't wait to hear the full-length.
Tortoise & Bonnie ‘Prince' Billy-The Brave And The Bold (Overcoat Recordings)
This collaboration between the Krautrock/minimalist jazz/electronica of Tortoise and Bonnie ‘Prince' Billy (indie rock's answer to Johnny Cash) is a dream meeting by two of underground music's most respected acts. The Brave and the Bold is an album of covers by such artists as Bruce Springstenn, Elton John, and The Minutemen.
Rocky Votolato-Makers (Barsuk) Makers is an early (way, way early) pick for my favorite album of the year. According to Barsuk Records, Rocky is a "soft-spoken…very hard-working 28-year-old, father of two… raised in the Pacific Northwest indie scene (where he fronted the acclaimed band Waxwing). He has matured over the course of three increasingly accomplished solo albums, and writes songs that seem to have been scratched into a boxcar wall by a worn-out and lonesome ghost." Check out "She Was In It Only For the Rain" and "Tennessee Train Tracks" first but there isn't a lackluster song on the album. For fans of Elliott Smith, Paul Westerberg, and Hayden. Trivia note: Rocky's brother Cody plays guitar for the hardcore band Blood Brothers.
2. SELL YOUR LIVER FOR TICKETS TO…
Buy tickets to these shows. Free beer on Mr. Berry if you have a lousy time. This claim is a bit risky with the unpredictable nature of Chan Marshall of Cat Power so I may be forced to eat my words, with leftovers in tow. Be warned: Belle and Sebastian ($30) and Cat Power ($25) tickets won't come cheap.
Belle and Sebastian w/ The New Pornographers
2-25 Toronto, Ontario - The Docks
2-26 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
2-27 Boston, MA - Avalon
2-28 Boston, MA - Avalon
3-02 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
3-03 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
3-04 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
3-05 Washington DC - 9:30 Club
3-06 Washington DC - 9:30 Club
3-08 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
3-09 Louisville, KY - Brown Theatre
3-10 Chicago, IL - Riviera
3-11 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
3-12 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
3-14 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
3-15 Austin, TX - Stubb's (SXSW)*
3-18 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
3-19 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
3-21 San Francisco, CA - Concourse @ SF Design Center
3-23 Portland, OR - Roseland
3-24 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom #
3-25 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
Cat Power
2-14 New York, NY - Town Hall *
2-18 Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Hall *
2-20 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre *
2-22 Los Angeles, CA - Wilshire Ebell *
2-23 San Francisco, CA - Palace of Fine Arts *
2-24 San Francisco, CA - Palace of Fine Arts *
2-26 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre *
3-04 London, England - The Barbican *
3-08 Paris, France - Grand Rex *
Robert Pollard (of Guided By Voices)
01-26 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
01-27 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
01-28 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
02-09 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
02-10 Columbus, OH - Little Brother's
02-11 Newport, KY - Southgate House
02-24 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
02-25 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
02-27 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
02-28 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café
03-30 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
03-31 Chicago, IL - Metro
04-01 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews
04-20 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
04-21 Boston, MA - Paradise
04-22 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
4. PARTING THOUGHTS/PLUGS
· Wilson Pickett, one of the great soul vocalists, passed away this week. Rhythm & Blues music just doesn't have the passion it once did. Massive respect goes out to Mr. Pickett and his body of work.
· If you liked Radio Free Berry, you'll love:
- Dancing About Architecture covers The Flaming Lips and The Thrills, an update on South By Southwest, and calls me a bastard. What a jerk.
- Fugazi 13 Songs gets the Greatest Album Ever treatment from Dusty Godwin. Great album indeed…I also recommend Steady Diet of Nothing and Repeater for fans of Fugazi.
-The Jimi Hendrix Experience gets The Untouchables treatment from Stephen Mogan, with plenty of Hendrix discography coverage.
- Red Eye is the focus of Mary Markham's (yes! a woman writing for 411 Mania) Lost Highway column.
· Send feedback to Radio Free Berry by clicking the link below.
