Posts by Shawn Donohue

Kelley Stoltz has put together a snappy collection of 50’s-60’s dreamy garage-pop with his most recent effort To Dreamers.  Echo vocals, glimmering tambourines, a dash of feedback and random horns all come and go like the breeze as Kelley sings about “getting the girl” and “all of our stars aligning”.  The retro vibe is obvious, but this album was certainly produced in the digital age with clear sound and at times too many instruments/sounds trying to make a mark like on “Keeping the Flame”. 

The mad hatters from Los Angeles, California swept into CMJ this year on the back of their upcoming documentary, “Everyday Sunshine” which was screened for a select few before the bands night onstage.  The seven member strong Fishbone wove their way through a night of hits and misses in front of a rambunctious crowd at the intimate Le Poisson Rogue down in the village. 

A fierce trio that plays power punk music with a DIY gritty edge, Screaming Females has produced a complete and exciting record with their newest release Castle Talk.  The group has a knack for producing catchy riffs and choruses before scuffing them up with enough tempo changes and feedback so the proceedings never become too sweet. 

The official kick off party to 2010's CMJ festival was held in the pristine Brooklyn Bowl with pins crashing and guitars wailing.  MOG put together a free show for fans to catch new all-stars and old superstars before the madness of all day parties, panel discussions and cheap beer starts flowing in every NYC venue possible.

More akin to Crosby Stills and Nash then the recent Monsters of Folk, Fistful Of Mercy play with light and airy textures minus CSN’s political bent.  Songs about love dominate as do violins and ultra repetitive choruses that allow the trio to mesh harmonically but never say anything lasting.

The duo of drummer Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall have gained a lot of buzz as No Age and their newest release Everything In Between proves that the hype is well earned.  The art-punk-pop LA fellas have crafted the rare beast: a catchy, freaked-out pasture of pumping drums and squealing guitars contained in garage DIY style that is not only listenable, but engaging. 

Laura Cortese is a singer/songwriter who plays a mean fiddle and has put together an all female string quartet to record her Acoustic Project EP.  The group of players consists of Natalie Hass on cello, Brittany Haas contributing the 5-string fiddle parts while Hanneke Cassel strums and plucks the 4-string fiddle.  The style of tunes presented by the ladies ranges all over the folk world.  There are acoustic pop such as “Perfect Tuesdays”, old rural traditional numbers like “Greasy Coat” and a Celtic flair that emerges on “Women Of The Ages”. 

The Torches from Washington, D.C. have cobbled together an EP that showcases their off-kilter roots and grimy driving acoustic rock.  The group tackles tunes in the vein of O’Death or a toned down Americana version of Gogol Bordello, but the obvious patron saint prayed to on the self titled EP is Tom Waits.   

Coming from the heart of New Orleans is this pack of rebel-rousers known as the Rough Seven, with their blinding, fantastic debut disc Give Up Your Dreams.  Containing former members of 9th Ward cult heroes Morning Forty Federation, the new outfit strives for a gutter gospel sound and achieves it winningly.

Appropriately, Dax Riggs took to the stage during the witching hour for his compact set of dark rock on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning in lower New York City.  The first of two shows in town, Dax was tighter then some past NYC performances which could have to do with his full backing band of Julian Primeaux on guitar, Charley Seiss on drums and bassist Kevin Fitzsimmons. 

The Dead Weather’s final stop on their summer tour was Tuesday night under threatening skies in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.  Thankfully the rain held off, but the thunder and lightning were in full effect on the stage.  Openers Harlem from Austin, TX played a nervous opening set of their stripped down fifties style surf/garage pop.  Focusing on their newest album, Hippies, they seemed to mumble and act a bit jittery until things picked up for final few tunes. This could be traced to Curtis O’Mara coming out from behind the drums to sing and play guitar on “Friendly Ghost” and “Faces”.

It was a perfect summer night to watch two bands ply their wares on the waterfront of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  While the venue could use more grass and less fractured concrete the views couldn’t have been sweeter, with the skyline visible to the artists and anyone who turned away from the stage for a second. 

Two  living American treasures played one of America’s greatest concert venues on a humid summer night to the sold out house of all ages.  Both Willie Nelson and Levon Helm have lived through over 70+ years of success and tribulations, that they are still performing such passionate shows nightly is a testament to their impact on popular music and their burning desire as artists.

Past tours and live offerings have found the group blasting out hard rocking/white boy blues, but tonight found them more confident, easing back and letting the songs (especially those played as a four piece) speak for themselves.  This came with a sacrifice of their metallic aggression and urgency but it is hard to argue with the quality of the Brothers tracks.

History From Below plays like Delta Spirit's stripped down B-side to 2008’s Ode to Sunshine.  As that term suggests there are none of the standouts like “Thrashcan” or “People C’mon” contained here yet the band continue to experiment. “White Table” is one of the better efforts, at once sonically barren yet pulsing with promise until springing alive halfway through; a neat trick.  “Bushwick Blues” bounces along at an urgently brisk pace, and “Golden State” is an exuberant piano pounding rhythmic shake-fest, both are infectious highpoints.  

Collective wisdom has always been that Andre 3000 was the freak and Big Boi was the street when it came to OutKast, but Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, could slightly shift that view.  Big Boi has mastered the microphone and allows his purple freak flag to fly with bass lines, beats, and various musical styles. Caribbean, classical, new wave and syrupy southern soul all seep into the sound. 

An indie-rock/classical/concept album trifecta may seem like a broad over reach, but in reality artists like Frank Zappa and more apropos for Television Landscape – Prince, have shuffled down these paths before, now whether the combo actually works is another question entirely.  In William Brittelle’s case the answer is yes, for the most part.  Fully orchestrating the Television Landscape with electronic and acoustic instrumentation infuses a sense life to the disenchanted themes presented. 

With Expo 86, Montreal’s Wolf Parade has expanded their electro-pop indie rock in size and scope while delivering danceable efforts that their fans will devour.  Guitars and keyboards sound grandiose over wordless choruses; large enough to fill up some arenas that band is on the road to headlining.  Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug are the most cohesive as song writers they have been in this bands career, coalescing easily throughout and making it more difficult to recognize who wrote which song.

This Brooklyn Sextet hopes to have created your electronica-pop soundtrack to the summer with Travel Book.  Motoring in multiple directions, the album has a mission to build, layer and sift through tweaks, sonic-yelps and bleeps while tying everything together with head-bobbing rhythms.  The best tracks start simple, piling on sound and beats before letting the combination blossom under Sam Tyndall’s vocals.

When The Black Keys released their last effort, Attack & Release, it was hyped as the duo’s breaking out of their blues rock box, but as the prophet Chuck D has proclaimed for decades, “Don’t believe the Hype!”  Brothers, is Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s coming out party and it is a blinding success.