popwreckoning

It’s unfortunate, but electronic music doesn’t really get a fair (mainstream) shake in America. You can see this by the cities most electronic acts and DJs choose to play: New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and maybe some lucky others in between. My hope, specifically, is for English electronic bands, who traditionally do extremely well in European and Asian markets, to do equally as well here in the U.S. In 2009, I was pulling for Dan Black. Last year I was stumping for Delphic. This year it’s Fenech-Soler, four guys from a little town called Kings Cliffe, who get my vote. When I say little town, I mean that the band (comprised of brothers Ben and Ross Duffy, Daniel Soler, and Andrew Lindsay) is the only thing from there I’ve ever heard about. I had to look the place up in Wikipedia to find out exactly where this was.

This is not a dig. Not at all. Actually, the fact that they wrote their self-titled debut album, released in the UK last fall, in what Fenech-Soler singer Ben Duffy describes as “a little corner of Northamptonshire“ and their “hideaway” makes it all the more unlikely. Their name came up often in conversations I had with friends, but it wasn’t until I heard that the band were chosen as support for Delphic (at an important Manchester Warehouse Project gig in Delphic‘s hometown) that I really took notice.

Listening to their track “Lies,” there’s no surprise why the Manchester trio chose them for a famed rave event like Warehouse Project. The great thing about dance music is (and more than any other genre I think), it doesn’t matter who wrote it or where the band is from. If a song is well-written and has a good beat, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will get people on the dance floor and bodies moving. This is the feeling I get from Fenech-Soler‘s debut release in America, the Demons EP.

The title track of the EP first grabbed me because the chorus reminded me a lot of Dan Black‘s “Alone.” But lyrically, it’s more dense, in a good way. While I give that the words “I’m the one / you’re the drug to ease my pain / I was wondering / if you ever / see me again” isn’t Shakespeare, they work because this is dance music. When you’re on a dance floor, you want a song that has amorous, yearning lyrics and a monster backbeat paired with clean, bouncy synths, so you can sway your arms in the air and move your hips. At least that’s what I look for. Sexy spoken words on a breakdown are always a plus too. “Demons” ticks off all those boxes admirably.

“Stone Bridge” with solid piano chords and equally solid vocals from Duffy shows that the band knows their way outside the stereotypical dance track. The song has a darker, sultry edge that would appeal to people who usually run from dance albums. If I had to compare this song to another band, I’d probably name Keane, who have turned to dance and synth beats for their last two releases (2008′s Perfect Symmetry and 2010′s Night Train). Except for the fact that two-thirds into “Stone Bridge,” Fenech-Soler‘s electronic soul is fully realized. Also included on this EP is the “White Version” of “Demons,” where the band strips down the original track to a slower pace, with Duffy’s gorgeous voice showcased as the beauty that it is. (The band are so nice that they’re offering this song, along with other stripped-down versions of other album tracks “Stop and Stare,” “Battlefields,” and “Contender” for free download on their official website.)

Besides Delphic, Fenech-Soler have recently toured with the likes of White Lies and Kelis, so they’ve got friends in high places. And if you still aren’t convinced about this band, I suggest having a listen to the Groove Armada track “Paper Romance,” featuring Duffy on vocals. All I can say is there must be something in the water in England that somehow makes practically every English electronic band sound fantastic. I’m so glad the Demons EP is finally coming out on this side of the pond. America, get ready. Fenech-Soler is ready to rock your world. Let’s go dancing. And put St. George’s crosses on your cheeks while you’re at it.

Fenech-Soler‘s Demons will be released in America on March 29.

Track Listing
1. Demons
2. Stone Bridge
3. Lies
4. Demons (White Version)

Fenech-Soler: website | myspace | “Demons” video

I held off the Script as long as I could. I’m usually so skeptical about bands that have international legions of obsessed fans, especially when they are mostly female. When the Dublin band appeared as a “You Oughta Know” band prospect on VH1 and one of my English friends told me I just had to listen to one of their songs, “Before the Worst” (from their eponymous debut album released in the UK in 2008), I finally caved. And I’m so glad I did. They came into my life exactly when I needed them. R&B isn’t what comes to mind when you think of the Emerald Isle, but for the Script‘s Danny O’Donoghue and Mark Sheehan, American soul music played a big part of their musical upbringing, which explains the hip hoppy / soulful parts of some Script songs. It’s an interesting twist to the usual pop formula.

The Script – comprised of O’Donoghue (lead vocals, keyboards), Sheehan (guitar, backing vocals) and Glen Power (drums) – have somehow managed to put together blue-eyed soul with a pop sensibility in perfect combination to move thousands of albums and concert tickets. (Their debut album went double platinum in the UK, and an entire 12-date UK arena tour for this March sold out in 5 days when tickets went on sale in October.) The majority of their fans are young and female, which isn’t a surprise given that most of their songs deal with falling in love, heartbreak, or both, and it sure doesn’t hurt that all three members are in their twenties and good looking.

Unfortunately, thanks to these qualities, they’ve been marked as lightweights by most critics, which is unfair. I’m sure many of you reading this have not given the Script a chance for the same reasons I didn’t at the get-go. But Script & Faith, their second album, is worth a listen, whether you are male or female, young or old. Writing the perfect pop song is an art, and even more so if you’re writing a radio-friendly single. Anyone can try to write a good one, but few are successful. Listening to this album makes you think the whole process must be nearly effortless for this band.

Take for example the first single from this album they released in the UK in September 2010, “For the First Time.” You can watch the promo video for the song below: it stars Bono‘s daughter Eve Hewson and ends on a very moving note. With “You Won’t Feel a Thing, “Long Gone and Moved On,” and “Dead Man Walking,” you will find a cool guitar rock sound with pop piano that is comparable to other radio-friendly acts like Keane and Snow Patrol, O’Donoghue’s expansive voice making the tracks soar. Driving drums and piano propel “This is Love,” its sweet lyrics as evocative as the band’s first-ever single “We Cry,” demonstrating the struggle and hope that define the songs of the Script.

When I saw them live at a sold out 9:30 Club show in November 2010, O’Donoghue and Sheehan described their song “Nothing” as being about cheering up a mate with a broken heart by taking him to the local bar and getting him drunk to forget the ex. If the Script‘s words are to be believed, alcohol isn’t the answer because the pain is still too fresh. And really, who hasn’t felt this way right after the end of a relationship, when you haven’t fully come to grips that what you once shared with someone has ended? The words in the chorus “and I know that I’m drunk but I’ll say the words / and she’ll listen this time even though they’re slurred / dial her number and confess to her / I’m still in love / but all I heard was nothing” and the refrain of “I wanted words but all I heard was…nothing” are achingly beautiful in its emotional account of heartbreak.

Having trained as a biologist, I give the Script points for the lyrics in title track “Science & Faith,” insisting that love can’t be broken “down to the chemicals” and “you won’t find faith or hope down a telescope.” Words like these fall flat if there’s no melody, and with this band, you will find yourself tapping your toes to the beat. The Script turns to their more urban sound for “Walk Away,” reminiscent of “If You See Kay” or “We Cry” from their first album; this one elicits similar “raise the roof” hand gestures. The only disappointment is “Exit Wounds,” which, for dramatic purposes, tries to compare a break-up with being shot and plays with suicide and hospital themes. Despite the tenderness of the melody, it’s an unnecessarily sad ending to the album; I would have expected a more uplifting one from this band.

As a writer, I love examining and picking apart lyrics, so I appreciate words put together that actually mean something. I’ll be the first to admit the Script‘s lyrics can be cheesy and overly sappy at times, but sometimes this is the only kind of music that will do. If you loved the simple brilliance of their monster hit “Breakeven” (with the immortal and ever so true line “when a heart breaks, no, it don’t break even“), you’ll find a lot to love on Science & Faith. If you’re a newbie to the Script, give this album a spin and listen to them with an open mind. You might be surprised and find something deeper emotionally that you didn’t know you needed. Like I did.

Track Listing:
01. You Won’t Feel a Thing
02. For the First Time
03. Nothing
04. Science & Faith
05. If You Ever Come Back
06. Long Gone and Moved On
07. Dead Man Walking
08. This is Love
09. Walk Away
10. Exit Wounds

Science & Faith by the Script will be released on January 18 on Sony Music.

The Script: website | myspace | The Script – “Breakeven”

Live photos: Mary Chang

In this golden age of supergroups (think Broken Bells and Them Crooked Vultures), Mt. Desolation is a supergroup with a difference. The band plays alternative country – not exactly mainstream in the U.S. – and features Keane‘s principal songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley and touring musician Jesse Quin. Also along to assist are Ronnie Vannucci Jr. of the Killers, Country Winston of Mumford and Sons, and members of Noah and the Whale, the Long Winters, and the Staves. Got all that? Good.

Mt. Desolation is set to release its self-titled debut album on October 19 on Cherry Tree Records and is going on tour later this month, playing some dates handily enough with Mumford and Sons. If you like what you hear in the video below for their song, “Departure,” catch them at a venue near you.

Tour Dates
Oct 18 – Palladium / Los Angeles*
Oct 20 – Warfield / San Francisco*
Oct 22 – Crystal Ballroom / Portland*
Oct 23 – Vogue Theatre / Vancouver*
Oct 24 – Moore Theatre / Seattle*
Oct 27 – Mercury Lounge / New York City
Oct 28 – Drake / Toronto
Oct 29 – Pike Room / Detroit
Oct 30 – Schubas / Chicago
*with Mumford and Sons

Photo: Alex Lake

Mt. Desolation: website | myspace

I’ll be honest. I was pretty skeptical when Mt. Desolation was announced as a Keane side project this year, because I love Keane so much. Cast all those reservations aside when you watch this video directed by Joe Kane for “State of Our Affairs” featuring Jesse Quin on lead vocals (and of course Tim Rice-Oxley tickling the ivories). Wow.

Mt. Desolation is touring with their mates Mumford and Sons and playing several headlining shows of their own this month. Their self-titled debut will be released on October 19 on Cherry Tree Records.

Tour Dates
Oct 18 – Palladium / Los Angeles*
Oct 20 – Warfield / San Francisco*
Oct 22 – Crystal Ballroom / Portland*
Oct 23 – Vogue Theatre / Vancouver*
Oct 24 – Moore Theatre / Seattle*
Oct 27 – Mercury Lounge / New York City
Oct 28 – Drake / Toronto
Oct 29 – Pike Room / Detroit
Oct 30 – Schubas / Chicago
*with Mumford and Sons

Mt. Desolation: website | myspace

Prior to Thursday night, the last time I caught a show at Merriweather Post Pavilion was back in 1998. I don’t really like the place all that much; after you’ve seen great shows in smaller, intimate clubs where you can have a connection with the band that’s performing, the lack of intimacy in an outdoor amphitheatre like Merriweather is startling. The crowds also tend to be very different than those you encounter at club shows – Columbia is quite a drive from Washington or Baltimore, so you will mostly run into older patrons and their spouses drinking beer or parents with their underage kids in tow. Pulling into the parking area, my friends and I looked at the pretty empty field and were worried that there wouldn’t be a good turnout. Thunderstorms had moved through the area earlier, making the walk around the grounds a soggy adventure. I might not go to Merriweather to see most bands, but I will make the exception for Keane.

The pavilion is pretty empty when the first opening act, Fran Healy, begins his one-man acoustic set. Frontmen are all going solo these days – Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, and more recently, Paul Smith of Maximo Park. Healy is better known as the frontman for legendary Scottish alt-rock group Travis. He’s putting out his first solo album, Wreckorder, in October, so touring with Keane is a good way for Healy to preview tracks from his forthcoming release. He is very funny, at one point dedicating the 1999 Travis hit “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” to the unfortunate souls who have lawn seating, and at another point, saying that bugs were biting him and asking if Columbia had mosquitoes, saying, “back in Scotland, we call them ‘midges.‘” In his Scottish accent, it was adorable to say the least.

He also told the story about how he successfully invited Beatle bassist Paul McCartney to play on his solo song “As It Comes” and trying to come up with an appropriate way to thank the Cute Beatle, decided he and his family would go vegetarian in honor of him. (McCartney later mailed Healy three of his late wife’s vegetarian cookbooks in recognition of the gesture.) The older crowd is appreciative of the Travis numbers sprinkled in the set like “Why Does It…” and “Sing” as they are played alongside new songs like the set-ender, “Buttercup.”

The second opener was bespectacled indie pop/folk singer Ingrid Michaelson, backed by a full band. Most of the time Michaelson, dressed in a frilly, small black dress, sang while strumming a ukulele. I’m not really a fan of her music, but even I cannot escape the radio play of her songs “Maybe” and “The Way I Am.” She is obviously a talented singer/songwriter, so I think I would have been more impressed with her performance if she hadn’t played so many covers. Michaelson’s version of Radiohead‘s “Creep” – just her warbling voice and her playing ukulele – was odd to say the least. Perhaps the strangest moment of the night was her saying goodbye with her version of Britney Spears‘ “Toxic”, including a choreographed dance sequence that ended with Michaelson on the shoulders of her bandmates.

Ingrid Michaelson Set List
Soldier
Poker Face (Lady Gaga acoustic cover fragment)
Die Alone
Parachute
The Hat
Creep (Radiohead cover done as an acoustic solo)
Maybe
Locked Up
The Way I Am
The Chain
Toxic (Britney Spears cover)

Keane‘s incidental music before they came onstage was a winner, including Two Door Cinema Club, Everything Everything (the Manchester quartet who recently opened for them on their sold-out Forest Tour of the UK), and Florence and the Machine. It got me appropriately psyched up for what was a fabulously tight set of songs from the English trio. From their recently released EP Night Train, Keane rather smartly only played the best tracks from the r&b-leaning release, including “Clear Skies,” “Stop for a Minute,” and “Your Love.” The latter is now famous as the only song in Keane‘s pretty substantial back catalogue that pianist / principal songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley sings on, and it is a great showcase of Rice-Oxley’s voice. One can only hope that he will share more lead singing duties with Tom Chaplin in the future.

This is not to say Chaplin did not keep up his end of the bargain. As usual, Chaplin’s beautifully compelling voice soared on the Keane ballads we all know so well, including “Everybody’s Changing” and “Somewhere Only We Know,” while being inexhaustible for the more fun, up tempo numbers, like “You Haven’t Told Me Anything” and “Spiralling.” I am torn between Thursday night’s versions of “This is the Last Time” and “Perfect Symmetry” as to which gets my vote for best song of the show. Both are tear-inducing when you hear them live, just gorgeous pieces of piano-driven pop. Going to see Keane is an event. An event you don’t want to miss.

Keane Set List
House Lights (instrumental)
Again and Again
Bend and Break
Everybody’s Changing
Nothing in My Way
Clear Skies
This is the Last Time
Stop for a Minute
Try Again
You Haven’t Told Me Anything
Spiralling
Bad Dream
Is It Any Wonder?
Your Love
Perfect Symmetry
Somewhere Only We Know
Bedshaped
//
My Shadow
Crystal Ball

Tour Dates
Aug 07 – Mann Center / Philadelphia
Aug 10 – Riverside Theatre / Milwaukee
Aug 11 – 1st Ave. / Minneapolis
Aug 13 – Fox Theatre / Boulder
Aug 14 – Mile High Festival / Denver

Keane Photos by Catherine Sexton

Keane: website | myspace | @ Constitution Hall | Keane to Release Expanded Version of Their Debut Album, Hopes and Fears | Keane announces North American in support of new album, Night Train
Fran Healy: website | myspace
Ingrid Michaelson: website | myspace | Everybody review | “Maybe” video

Okay, so I readily admit it. I don’t listen to a lot of American bands. I do, however, have a defense: if you turn on your car radio in Washington, DC, scroll up and down the dial all you want, but you won’t be able to find a good station that plays all “new” American rock ‘n’ roll. (There is a rock station in the area that I like, but the problem is they play a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana, which is fine if you want to relive the ’90s but not if you want to discover new bands.) To seek out the next biggest American rock band, I’ve used one of two methods: either listen to the good mix of stuff played on BBC 6music (through which I found out about the Airborne Toxic Event, the Gaslight Anthem, and Titus Andronicus) or show up early to gigs as to check out opening bands.

The latter method applies to how I found out about New York band the Dig, who supported Editors in February at the 9:30 Club. I always feel bad for opening bands. Unless you happen to be lucky and are already famous before you’ve agreed to sign on to support a bigger band on their headlining tour, the venue is likely to be mostly empty when it comes time for you to play. This was true at the 9:30, but the Dig worked it like pros, and by the end of their set everyone around me was smiling, obviously converted into fans. Workhorses of the American rock world, this band has toured around the country a lot, and it showed in their pretty much seamless live performance. Live shows are one thing; but can the band deliver on record, on their debut Electric Toys? I would say yes, a resounding yes. One better: this debut effort was produced by Bryce Goggin, who has previously worked with Pavement (on their 1994 opus Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain) and Antony and the Johnsons. Intrigued?

Like New Hampshire band Wild Light, the Dig features different members switching off for who sings lead. Bassist Emile Mosseri takes lead vocals on what I consider the more middle of the road radio-friendly tunes. “You’re Already Gone” tells the story about, from what I gather, the morning after but with a twist – the emotionally unavailable woman has split and the man is lamenting that she’s left so quickly. The result? A peculiar but wholly romantic tune (with lyrics like “I just want to hear you say good night again” and “all the city lights will light your skin“) with a wicked guitar groove. Tom Chaplin (Keane)-like vocals feature in “Carry Me Home,” just that electric guitars are the prominent instrument on this song, not keyboards. ” The drums by Jamie Alegre drive “Sick Sad Morning” along as Mosseri pleads, “why don’t you pick up the phone?” and later yelps in yearning.

In contrast, guitarist David Baldwin sings lead on “I Just Wanna Talk to You,” a tune with almost Southern swagger. Take that, Kings of Leon. “She’s Going to Kill That Boy” and “Two Sisters in Love” are equally searing, with rocking choruses. “He’s a Woman” has a psychedelic bent, with crashing drums and swirly guitars. These are the kind of songs you want to have along for a long car ride in the summer, windows rolled down, speakers blasting. The album cover of Electric Toys features a red velvet cupcake, cream cheese frosting, and a perfect maraschino cherry. I highly recommend taking a great big bite. Dig in.

Electric Toys will be released in America on June 8 on Megaforce Distribution.

Track Listing
01. Carry Me Home
02. Two Sisters in Love
03. You’re Already Gone
04. She’s Going to Kill That Boy
05. Penitentiary
06. Sick Sad Morning
07. He’s a Woman
08. Look Inside
09. For All Your Sins
10. Shadow
11. I Just Wanna Talk to You
12. Feel Like Somebody Else

The Dig: myspace | @ 9:30 Club | The Joy Formidable / The Dig Live Performances / Webchat on May 10 | Thrice announce 2nd leg of Summer tour w/Kevin Devine, Bad Veins & The Dig

UK trio Keane is touring the US this summer.

The tour starts off July 20 in Oakland, CA and ends August 11 in Minneapolis. Tickets go on sale May 14. They’re joined by Travis frontman, Fran Healy, and Ingrid Michaelson.

The tour is in support of the newly released Night Train. The new release contains eight fresh piano tracks that combine brooding rock with pop flourishes.

Tour dates:
July 20 – Fox Theatre – Oakland, CA
July 21 -  Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
July 23 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
July 25 – Warehouse Live -  Houston, TX
July 26 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX
July 28 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
July 30 – Molsen Ampitheatre – Toronto, ON
August 3 – Bank of American Pavilion – Boston, MA
August 5 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Baltimore, MD
August 6 – Waterfront -  Brooklyn, NY
August 7 – Mann Center – Philadelphia, PA
August 10 – Riverside Theatre – Milwaukee, WI
August 11 – 1st Ave. – Minneapolis, MN

Sometimes light comes from out of the darkness. As their band name suggests, Editors have changed things up, not content to stay in one place, reinventing themselves yet again. Their 3rd album length offering titled In This Light and On This Evening was released October 12 in the UK and shot straight to #1 in its debut week. One of my friends is a huge Editors fan. But I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of Tom Smith‘s husky voice.

However, upon hearing the first single from the album, the wonderfully synthtastic “Papillon,” I decided their new sound warranted more of my attention. In This Light and On This Evening was produced by London-based Flood (aka Mark Ellis), who has also recently worked with 30 Seconds to Mars. The band also made a concerted attempt to go back to basics, to keep as raw of a sound as possible while recording this album, so if you’re a proponent of the “warts and all” style of music production, you’re going to like this. Similar to what fellow Englishmen Keane did in 2008 with Perfect Symmetry, Editors decided on their third outing to incorporate synthesizers heavily into their music and rely less on guitars. And just like there was for Perfect Symmetry , there are plenty of critics of this new “version” of Editors, the kind of people who think any band to use synths so prominently in rock music is committing heresy.

In my eyes, synths are a welcome addition to any song, provided the song written with their use in mind has a direction, with strong melody and lyrics. (Deep down, I’ll always be an ’80s new wave / electropop / dance fanatic at heart. This also probably explains why, unlike those who have reviewed the album before me, I’m not put off by Editors’ spin on retro electronica.) In the case of In This Light and On This Evening, the synth action is fab and adds rather than detracts from these songs. The album starts off with the part hymnal / part dirge title track, Smith’s vocals darkly avuncular and somewhat frightening. He could be your worst nightmare. Or your savior. When he sings, “I swear to God / in this light and on this evening / London’s become / the most beautiful thing I’ve seen” and mentions the Fleet Road (near Hampstead Heath, North London), this Anglophile knows everything’s going all right. For those of you like me who love (and miss) London Town a whole lot, the band “hacked” into Google Maps and you can take their virtual street view tour of London with the album as your soundtrack. “You’re a long way from home,” indeed. Sigh.

“You Don’t Know Love” is one hell of a sexy number, with lyrics of “You don’t know love like you used to / you don’t feel love like you did before” and wicked beats from drummer Ed Lay. Yowza. Who ever said synth rock had no emotion? (Just please don’t ask me to even try to explain the music video for the song that premiered December 16 on MySpace.) “The Big Exit,” with Smith’s semi-falsetto and the rest of the band repeating the phrase, “they took what once was ours,” is chilling. I also really like “The Boxer;” it’s a bit slower, but warm and cozy as if your mother was tucking you in at night. Not exactly what you’d expect from its title.

And for the biggest surprise: who would have guessed a tune named “Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool” would have such a crazily infectious, repetitive chorus (“I give a little to you / I give a little to him / I give a little to her / a little bit to myself/ I’m gonna pass on your health / I give a little to her“)? You have to hear it to believe it. I’m stoked Editors are headed this way in two months and I’ll get to see hear all of these up close and personal.

Track Listing:
01. In This Light and On This Evening
02. Bricks and Mortar
03. Papillon
04. You Don’t Know Love
05. The Big Exit
06. The Boxer
07. Like Treasure
08. Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
09. Walk the Fleet Road

In This Light and On This Evening drops in America on January 19, 2010. You can catch Editors on their North American headlining tour in February.

Tour Dates
Feb 05 – Showbox at the Market / Seattle
Feb 06 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver
Feb 08 – Warfield Theatre / San Francisco
Feb 09 – House of Blues / San Diego
Feb 11 – Wiltern / Los Angeles
Feb 13 – Ogden Theatre / Denver
Feb 15 – Vic Theatre / Chicago
Feb 16 – Phoenix Concert Theatre / Toronto
Feb 18 – House of Blues / Boston
Feb 19 – Terminal 5 / New York City
Feb 20 – Trocadero / Philadelphia
Feb 21 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC

Editors: website | myspace | Editors Announce February North American Tour Dates

English stadium rockers Keane have announced on their website that they will be releasing an expanded version of their debut album, Hopes and Fears, in early November. This special release features the band’s early BBC Radio1 sessions with Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, demos, and some of their earliest released songs, including tracks from a live EP released in 2005. Championing the band early on, Lamacq contributes the text for the album’s liner notes as well.

The full tracklisting of the expanded edition is as follows:

CD ONE
01. Somewhere Only We Know
02. Bend And Break
03. We Might As Well Be Strangers
04. Everybody’s Changing
05. Your Eyes Open
06. She Has No Time
07. Can’t Stop Now
08. Sunshine
09. This Is The Last Time
10. On A Day Like Today
11 Untitled 1
12. Bedshaped
13. Somewhere Only We Know (Lamacq Live)
14. Bedshaped (Lamacq Live)
15. Bend And Break (Lamacq Live)
16. We Might As Well Be Strangers (Lamacq Live)
17. This Is The Last Time (Jo Whiley Live Lounge)
18. With Or Without You (Jo Whiley Live Lounge)
19. A Heart To Hold You (Jo Whiley Live Lounge)

CD TWO
01. Snowed Under (B-Side)
02. We Might As Well Be Strangers (DJ Shadow Remix)
03. Into The Light Demo (Unreleased)
04. Call Me What You Like Demo (Zoomorphic single 1)
05. Closer Now (Zoomorphic single 1)
06. Rubbernecking (Zoomorphic single 1)
07. Wolf At The Door (Zoomorphic single 2)
08. She Has No Time Demo (Zoomorphic single 2)
09. Call Me What You Like (Zoomorphic single 2)
10. Everybody’s Changing (Fierce Panda single 1)
11. The Way You Want It (Fierce Panda single 1)
12. This Is The Last Time Demo (Fierce Panda single 2)
13. Bedshaped Demo (Fierce Panda single 2)
14. Allemande (Fierce Panda single 2)
15. Somewhere Only We Know (Live E.P. released 3/5/05)
16. We Might As Well Be Strangers (Live E.P. released 3/5/05)
17. This Is The Last Time (Live E.P. released 3/5/05)
18. Everybody’s Changing (Live E.P. released 3/5/05)

This expanded edition of Hopes and Fears marks the final of Island Records’ Island 50 series commemorating the record label’s 50th anniversary. The album will drop on November 6 in the UK and can be pre-ordered from the band’s official online store. Also available at the store are t-shirts and a very limited number of special edition art prints signed by the band.

Keane: website | myspace | @ DAR Constitution Hall with the Helio Sequence and Mat Kearney

The music of David Bazan and, more specifically, his work with former band Pedro The Lion, has long been one of the culprits in my music library which causes my friends to teasingly accuse me of liking “sad bastard music.” While I like to believe that my musical tastes expand beyond such classifications, it is, however, true that some of the saddest and most depressing songs that I know come from directly from Mr. Bazan.

His first full length album, Curse Your Branches, starts off with beautiful piano music that is reminiscent of Keane and is quickly reinforced by some of the electronic elements that he explored under the moniker of Headphones. What Bazan starts eloquently crafting in the opening track “Hard to Be” continues throughout the rest of the album: painfully honest lyrics of betrayal and pain surrounded in the warmth of well crafted upbeat music.

I think the brilliance in Curse Your Branches lies is in the fact that he’s able to make an album that is easily listenable which also happens to be full of extremely painful subject matter. This approach is deliberate and you can definitely sense his humor while wading through such dense and dreary subjects, “When We Fell” ends with a hokey flourish that is immediately followed by a soundbite saying “do you want a stop for it like that?” and the contrast between subject matter and music is striking in “Please Baby Please,” a song imagining his daughter at age 23 killing a mother of three after a night of drunk driving.

This album is notably more matured than his 2006 solo EP Fewer Moving Parts. It’s textured and smooth sounding, full of his iconic grey pop, incorporating organic elements from Pedro The Lion and the electronic touch of Headphones.

Overall, I get a strong sense of betrayal in the songs on this album, it’s filled with not-so-subtle frustrations and confrontations on faith and God. It’s complicated and uneasy to pinpoint exactly, but Bazan grew up the son of a pastor in a highly indoctrinated religious environment and spent much of his musical career singing about faith and religion. Somewhere along the way, however, he began asking the tough questions and took a long hard look at things which ultimately led to this album. In “When We Fell” he sings, “If my mother cries when I tell her what I have uncovered / Then I hope she remembers she taught me to follow my heart.”

There is also a strong sense of helplessness, in “Curse Your Branches” he sings, “All falling leaves should curse their branches/ For not letting them decide where they should fall / And not letting them refuse to fall at all.”

The chorus in “Hard To Be,” a song in which he exposes the folly in the creation myth, is particularly powerful, singing softly, “It’s hard to be / Hard to be / Hard to be a decent human being.”

Full of wonderful tracks like “In Stiches,” “Hard To Be,” and “Lost My Shape,” Curse Your Branches is a brilliant album in which David Bazan wrestles with his demons and still stays compelling without dragging itself down too far into the dark.

Tracklisting:
01. Hard To Be
02. Bless This Mess
03. Please, Baby, Please
04. Curse Your Branches
05. Harmless Sparks
06. When We Fell
07. Lost My Shape
08. Bearing Witness
09. Heavy Breath
10. In Stitches

David Bazan: website | myspace