I don't know what got into
promoters across the globe this week but they all seem to have
simultaneously bombarded my inbox with roughly one zillion emails.
Normally, I would commence in a delete spree since most of the promotional
emails I get don't actually contain any music that I can share, but
everything being sent this week has been full of mp3s. Let the
downloading of the overly necessary EP begin!
:The Airborne Toxic Event - Does This Mean Your Moving
On:
Is it a coincidence that the manager of Franz Ferdinand would create a label
to make sure that ears everywhere could experience these guys? My
answer to that is a big fat NO, especially since the band sounds like a
sunny version of Alex Kapranos and Co. I don't blame the guy for
sticking to what he knows best, but I do find it to be entirely his fault
that I can't decide which of his artists I like more.
:Adam Franklin - Seize The Day:
Those of you who are extraordinarily music savvy may recall Mr. Franklin
from the band that gave him his start, Swervedriver, or one of his other
projects; Toshack Highway, Settings Suns. The guy has a fantastic
mid-90s indie rock voice, and even though I find it to be what makes the
song worthwhile, I also think that the melodic arrangement is more than good
enough to warrant some love. Be sure to throw on a nice pair of
headphones for this.
:The Lodger - Kicking Sand:
This one is really interesting. The beginning has a nice jangly guitar
riff that leads you to think it's going to be an enjoyable indie pop-filled
number, but then the vocals and the effects kick in and it quickly goes the
way of 80s synth bands like New Order. I love it when artists take the
time to make all of their influences perfectly clear in their sound; for me
it shows a lot of versatility. Too bad that most can't pull it off as
well as this trio does here.
:Shannon Wright - Everybody's Got Their Own Part To
Play:
I had never heard of Shannon before information on her arrived earlier this
week, but apparently she has been rocking away on her piano for quite some
time as she just saw the release of her fifth full length.The
veteran songstress has a stellar voice and a whole slew of lyrical gems, but
I recommend listening for the sole reason that there is nothing in this that
sounds like a clone of Cat Power, Feist or Karen O.
:Spoon - The Ghost Of You Lingers:
Yeah, I know you're brain is jumping into overdrive right now wondering why
I stuck this brand spanking new Spoon song at the bottom of an EP full of
mostly unknown artists, but it's simply because I can't make up my mind as
to what I think of it. The pounding piano, the static bursts, the
large absence of anything remotely familiar! It's all so confusing, I
just want to turn my camera on. Still, it's oddly addicting and I have
found myself constantly revisiting it. I'm just to weirded out to do a
full ramble.
On a grindhouse related side
note, I
had a double feature last night
that consisted of The Toxic Avenger and Hells Angels On Wheels. Any of
you that are interested in B style films probably remember the spoof-filled
Troma creation that showcased a janitor falling into a barrel of chemical
waste that ultimately turns him into some sort of monster hero that is
driven to destroy evil; at least there were boobs. The latter on the
list was pretty cool despite the fact that it was devoid of any sort of
actual plot. What it does showcase though is a very young and slightly
maniacal looking Jack Nicholson as a man looking for his place in the biker
world. I think it would have been really awesome had there been an
actual story instead of random fight scenes mixed with random bike riding
scenes mixed with random drug induced randomness...and stuff.
-
John Laird -
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