popwreckoning

Recent months have seen the acquisition of various records that have been intensely sought after by yours truly for quite some time now. Not merely by referral, but for the sake of re-visiting the previous musical tendencies of these artists and their intentions pertaining to content and musical composition.

The first of these coveted new finds is the Killers’ debut studio album, Hot Fuss, first issued in 2004. A number of trips to Amoeba yielded little success in my quest for this album (their Killers’ section was limited to Human and Sawdust at the time). I finally encountered a special edition set in the clearance section at Hot Topic. While not the most conspicuous resource for vinyl, they surprisingly have an interesting selection. The best deal on the White Stripes’ album, Under the Great White Northern graces it’s racks, and at one point, it was the only retail outlet (that I knew of), that housed Blink 182’s Dude Ranch (I also purchased my vinyl edition of Enema of the State from them, which, as it turns out, is twice as glorious as the first time I heard “What’s My Age Again” on the radio as a pre-teen).
Not only did I obtain a ridiculously hard to find record, but it came with a cute little band tee and was less than $20. Despite not being the biggest Killers’ fan throughout their rise to stardom, a live, acoustic version of Mr. Brightside and a surprisingly melodic track featuring Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground entitled “Tranquilize,” intrigued me enough to re-continue exploration.
Brandon Flowers’ voice is riveting; every inimitable detail is stressed emphatically as the record spins. Through frequent usage of this particular record, I have come to love and acknowledge other Killers’ tracks that I never really heeded before, for example, “Andy Is a Star” and “Jenny Is a Friend of Mine,” as well as, increased my love for the constant Killers’ tracks in my life. The heart-wrenching lyricism of “Mr. Brightside,” the melodic, soul-stirring qualities of “All These Things That I’ve Done,” and the foot-tapping ecstasy that follows “Somebody Told Me” are brought to the forefront, rather than hidden behind digital snapshots of music. The dramatic atmosphere provoked by the Killers’ in this album is delightful, and I am grateful for the re-introduction in a bolder and brighter light; a representation less tarnished by abused air time and excessive VH1 coverage.

At a younger age, I had a slight obsession with Death Cab for Cutie; ultimately, I realized that the obsession stemmed from my adoration for the talented Ben Gibbard. The hype caused by the Postal Service that swept through my high school prompted my “non-comformist” self to back away from the insanity, but I would eventually return after hearing some of Ben Gibbard’s solo album Home (featuring Andrew Kenny, lead singer of American Analog) last summer. I found a copy of the Postal Service’s debut album, Give Up, at Amoeba, but it was much too expensive ($29.99) for my threadbare wallet to support that endeavor. After months of waiting to possibly score a second-hand record, I stumbled into a 2 disc special edition set at an Urban Outfitters (another unexpected place for record hunters to frequently locate records). Disc one contained the actual album, while disc two was composed of covers, remixes, and a couple bonus tracks. I got a good deal on it considering it had been removed from the original packaging, but the price before it was discounted was still much cheaper than the only copy available at Amoeba.

This compilation of tracks is quite distinguishable from Gibbard’s previous exploits with Death Cab For Cutie. The electronica driven album is a thrilling adventure in itself. Fraught with romantic and sophisticated lyrics; Gibbard’s soaring, soft, and gentle vocals embroider the, more often than not, upbeat and intricate tempo on this record. The book of lyrics that accompanied the album only provoked me to become even more immersed in the greatness of their masterpiece, and the more I listen to it, the more I crave for the rumors of a second Postal Service album release to be closer to the truth then reality depicts it to be. The gems off of this album are the usual Postal Service classics, like “Such Great Heights,” “Brand New Colony,” and “Sleeping In;” but the covers are just as mesmerizing. The Shins’ rendition of “We Will Become Silhouettes” was ethereal and sublime, and Iron and Wine gave “Such Great Heights” a slower, but interesting twist.

Although hesitant at first to purchase these finds, I realized later that I not only scored, but I had gained a new respect for record hunting. There is no “skip forward” button on a turntable; the album is heard exactly the way it was made; which is the way it should be (at least for audiophiles like myself). Some other notable acquisitions that I would recommend for re-exploration via analog would be: Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III (2008), Broken Bells’ self-titled debut album (2010), Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (1993), and Notorious BIG’s Life After Death (1997).

Dear Internet,

Why must good things always come to an end and why is that when it rains it pours?

The same week that late night TV fans had to bid adieu to CoCo, Kansas City was bidding farewell to JoCo.

The Beaumont Club Saturday night was as packed with people as the line up for the final Josephine Collective show was as packed with bands. In what might be a Kansas City first, people actually showed up early to see all openers, which might have been in part to most of the openers being the new projects of Josephine members.

Though all information listed 5 p.m. for the show, the first band actually started at 4:45 p.m., so showing up at 5:10 meant I missed Holy Mountain, but based on the size of the crowd and hum of kind words about the act when I arrived, it seems like it would have been a great set. They’re local to KC, so I’m sure I’ll get another chance to review them.

The first act I did catch was amazing and set the bar high for the rest of the groups. I had no idea this sort of group-this sort of music-existed in Kansas City. The group seemed to have the recipe for awesomeness down. They had the basics: drums and guitar.  Then, they made it a little unusual by rounding the foursome out with a violinist and a cellist. But what really made them unique was what the drummer, Jared Bond did on the first song.

Jared already had me excited when he came out on stage because he is also the drummer for Josephine Collective and his group was the first of the offshoots that I was seeing. I guess he was inspired by the string players in his new group and he thought, ‘Hey, why not bow the drums.’ Can you imagine the shock of seeing someone whip at a bow to run along the cymbals? That’s something you don’t see every day.

The group’s sound, abetted by the Americana folk-style vocals and the driving riffs on the cello, was reminiscent of Murder by Death. They were all very skilled, but perhaps too much so — Chaski Zapata: loosen up. This isn’t a school orchestra concert. Granted, the group has only been together since fall 2009, so stage presence has room to grow, especially when the musical talent is already there.

The only real problem with this act is that they’re a little difficult to track down on the webs. At this show, all the promotional material billed them as Dolphin Lounge, but on stage it sounded like they kept introducing themselves as Root & Stem and then when I tried to track them online, they appeared to be known as Casa Real. I could understand being confusing and hiding if you are a shitty group, but these guys are good and I’m trying to shout about them from the mountaintops…well shout about them from the laptops at least. I’ve tried to contact them about their real name, so hopefully I’ll be able to update soon.

The indie pop trio Sailor Sequence followed the mystery band name group. I’ve talked about these guys before, but that show was colored by a drunken interference. It was kind of exciting to go from the folk rock into their cool piano melodies with crashing cymbals. They played five songs with each song better than the last. They’re like Explosions in the Sky meets Postal Service meets Twilight Sad.

They group glided through their five songs, taking just a few brief moments for singer Noffy to thank the crowd and sadly say that this would be the last in Kansas City, for awhile at least, while they adjust as some members move to Nashville. This group is fairly new to the scene, and already one of its greatest rising acts, so I’m sad to see them go. I look forward to seeing where the future brings them though.

The show was about midway through and it was time for two of the most anticipated openers. Ninety-Four and Black Oxygen. These two groups are the side projects of Josephine’s two lead singers, Alexander Sandate and Dillon Devoe, with Alex leading the Atlanta-based Ninety-Four and Dillon helming the Kansas City-based Black Oxygen.

Watching both groups, it was pretty obvious that the Josephine spirit would at least live on. Heck Ninety-Four practically looked like they were Josephine with six members swarming the stage. The same sort of energy and crazy intense rock was present in the acts. Ninety-Four leaned a little toward the harder metal with screaming more prevalent in the band’s first few numbers. Black Oxygen has been around for awhile, but they’ve gone through a minor rehaul since Dillon has joined. Regardless of their changes, I think they’ll still leave metal fans gasping for more. I felt Black Oxygen had a bit more consistency and control than Ninety-Four, but I think any Josephine fan will easily be pleased with what will come out of either band’s camp in the near future. At least the audience at this particular show seemed equally pleased with both bands and responded with appropriate fist pumps, moshing and claps to the beat.

After the taste of Josephine given by the side projects, the audience was geared and ready for JoCo, but while the singer’s got a rest before their final performance (and time to change their shirts), a final opener took to the stage: Kansas City’s popular alternative rock group Queen’s Club.

This is about the third or fourth time I’ve seen these guys and I just didn’t get it. To me they’re like the KC Nickelback if Nickelback added a dance beat to all their tunes. What I mean by this is that I just don’t get why the music is popular and yet it inexplicably is. The kids just ate that shit up. They danced, body surfed and I was in disbelief over the amount of fists pumping the air. Seriously? I want to like these guys. My friends say I should, but I just don’t get it and this is one club I won’t be joining.

I love getting more bang for my buck and at $5 a ticket, this show easily gave buyers their money’s worth, but all these bands later and I was getting extremely anxious for the headliners. When the full Josephine Collective (including Bond) finally came out, it was complete chaos, but in a good way. The band already has a bajillion members, but their close friends and the other bands surrounded the group as well serving as cheering sections. If you’ve ever had the privilege, it was like being at Girl Talk show minus the toilet paper and instead of electronic remixes, it was heavy rock tunes in the vain of The Used, Say Anything and Taking Back Sunday that got the bodies moving. Even during some of the band’s few slower numbers, moshing and crowd-surfing ran rampant.

Josephine Collective know how to throw a going away party. As they blasted through songs from their Living EP and We Are The Air, crowd-surfers ran rampant causing security to sweat, but Josephine to smile as Alex and Dillon hardly missed a beat as they dished out hugs and high-fives to the kids landing on stage.

One of the highlights of the set came early with the popular single, “Living.” When the guys sang, “It just stops,” the entire mass of bodies intensely moshing, surfing and singing froze before jumping back into the chorus as raucous as ever. Other great moments included an impromptu and jokingly sung tune about this being the band’s final shows that included mentionings of mustaches and other things. I also loved when one of the Sailor Sequence guys joined for a tune, and of course, I loved the colouration that the softer “Lye,” brought to the set.

“Josephine, Josephine, get back together,” Alex and Dillon quipped back and forth. But then they pointed at that much like an ex-girlfriend, you can get back together and, “Yeah, the sex is great, but then you start dating and you remember why you broke up.” Sad, but understandable.

We wanted the show to keep going, but with their entire catalog pretty much done, the boys had to let the final tune fly.

“Freebird.”

Yes, the group began to play “Freebird,” but sans special appearances of Will Ferrell and co. It was all in good fun before they began their final song of the evening and of their band’s lifetime: “Pray for Rain.”

January 23, 2010 – Josephine Collective reunited and ended it the way it should have ended. They will be missed, but with Dolphin Lounge/Casa Real/Root&Stem, Fire for Effect, Ninety-Four, Sensational News Commentary Groove and Black Oxygen, we can all still continue the JoCo love for years to come.

Speechless. That’s what I was after the local show I caught recently  at Kansas City’s Davey’s Uptown. I wish I could say that the performance was so spectacular that the music left me speechless. Unfortunately, it was a weird chain of events that led to my loss for words.

Before I explain the strange events, I must say that the music was in fact, quite good. The more local shows I go to, the more respect I have for Kansas City’s local scene (There’s a lot more here than the Get Up Kids!)

The young O’Giant Man opened. These guys have shifted their line up around recently, so this was one of the first (if not the first) performance for the latest and hopefully final lineup. The group has a lot of potential if they can stay solid and practice defining their sound. They do some great harmonies and nice instrumental solos, but they had a tendency to test out too many ideas in a single song. This is a problem that many young and eager bands have, but it is something easy to grow out of it. I look forward to seeing them again when they’ve had a chance to refine their sound.

The lone out of town band It’s True was next on the bill. They easily could have been remembered as the best band there had the singer non-gone and fucked things up later in the show. The Omaha indie pop group had a solid sound and harmonies to rival the Fleet Foxes. Considering they’re an Omaha group where warbly vocals are popular (Conor Oberst, Tim Kasher), they’re a refreshing sound for that scene. Graceful keys provided the perfect compliment to their tunes. Aside from the incident that happens later (I’m getting there! Just wait), my only other criticism is that they got to be a little predictable. Sing, then keys, then instrumental breakdown where the singer sits in plays into the monitor. It was cool the first time, but come up with a new movement or song structure. It loses its charm with time.

Lawrence three-piece Cowboy Indian Bear continued the impressive with their full sound (hard to believe there were only three of them!).  All three contributed to vocals and percussion. A recent trend in Kansas City area music is filling out your sound with some pre-recorded electronic beats and effects (see Republic Tigers), which CIB has embraced. I’ve noticed many groups tend to over-endulge in their use of the computer, but CIB was tasteful. They were joined by a friend for their final number titled “Colour Music,” I think, but not to be confused with their “Mathematicians/Colours” played directly before it. They said was this their largest KC audience, which kind of surprised me. With their Postal Service instrumental vibe and smooth vocals, I feel it won’t be long before they gain a large following. They just released an EP. Go check them out.

Sailor Sequence has been described to me as the best band in Kansas City on more than occasion. The trio reminded me a lot of Snow Patrol from the Final Straw era. Perhaps a cover of “Run” is in their future. The difference between them and Snow Patrol is that the Snow Patrol guys have a more pop tendency, while Sailor Sequence leans toward shoegaze without fully embracing that sound.

Now while I’m not sthe full Sailor Sequence converts that my friends are, I do agree that they are quite good. They just lacked in the stage presence category, which might hurt them getting bigger past KC. It just felt distant.

Now I told you that this show left me speechless and I’m finally ready to explain why.

Toward the end of the Sailor Sequence’s set, a guy in a hat walked up to the front of a stage and started drinking a random beer pitcher left on the edge. Weird, but just the sort of weird that you chuckle and roll your eyes at and forget about. But when he put the pitcher down, he proceeded to climb on the stage, stumble over to the microphone by the keyboard and then sang an “Oooh” bit into the microphone when the band was in a big instrumental breakdown.

“Omaha!” yelled someone from the back. I looked again. Sure enough, this was the Omaha band’s lead singer Adam Hawkins.

The audience was confused. Was this part of the act?

The answer: no. Sailor Sequence tried to laugh it off, but when they started another song and Hawkins tried adding notes on the keyboard, the guys in Sailor Sequence just quit and stormed off the stage, incredulous that some drunk opener would ruin your set.

Hawkins wasn’t done there. He fell on the floor in the room by the main bar and attempted getting in a fight. A strange ending to what could have been a perfect night.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say he ruined the Sailor Sequence’s set. For what they did play, they sounded great. But Hawkins did ruin my opinion of his band. Like I said, they could have been remembered as the best band of that night, but that bit at the end was just rude.

O’Giant Man: myspace
It’s True: myspace
Cowboy Indian Bear: myspace
Sailor Sequence: myspace

Canadian indie pop group Stars surprised fans when they posted a cryptic link on their MySpace page that later revealed itself to be the announcement of the release of their Sad Robots EP. This was, undoubtedly, a most welcome surprise.

This six-song EP has electronica elements that are reminiscent of their 2001 debut album Nightsongs as opposed to their later more rock sounding releases. The addition of a live version of “Going, Going, Gone” further ties this EP to their debut release.

However, Sad Robots delves even deeper into the experimental electronica than Nightsongs. As I actually listened to “Maintenance Hall, 4am” at 4 am, I found myself hypnotized by the slow piano mixed with a steady bass drum beat. The robotic effect done to Torquil Campbell’s voice pulled me out of my trance, though.

Following the mostly instrumental opening track is “A Thread Cut With A Carving Knife,” which tells a sad story of a guy just barely making it through to the next day. As the seasons change and get colder with the man’s heart he must “Drink to stay alive, / But you’re hoping it would kill you, too.” Amy Millan’s beautiful voice encourages pushing for another day, “Close your eyes until tomorrow. It could bring you joy or it could bring you sorrow.” At the end of the song, the ascending melody is played against a background of descending scales representing the struggle of rising above everything trying to pull you down. This haunting track is one of the strongest on the EP.

A heavy bass provides the under current for “Undertow.” This song definitely captures the robotic theme of the EP, but with an odd mix of reverberated vocals, untouched normal vocals and an odd breathing noise at the end. This is a track that I could do without.

Next is “Going, Going, Gone,” which is an old song presented in a new way. This is a live song, but it sounds just as good as any studio recording. The original version of this song had more of a staccato effect to it, but the band opted to sustain the synth and vocals to create or more ethereal sound. This is so instrumentally different that it’s practically a new song.

“14 Forever” is another song I could have done without. It is actually a quite fun, upbeat song and is something that fans of the Postal Service would love. However, it feels a little out of place with the other tracks’ more dour mood.

Ending the EP is title track “Sad Robot.” True to its name, robotic sounds abound in this song as it starts off with the beeps of a computer going haywire. An acoustic guitar gets distorted at the end of each phrase giving a really cool effect. Millan lays gentle French lyrics over this interesting instrumentation, which sounds amazing even to those of us who don’t understand a lick of French.

Stars’ Sad Robot EP became available for digital download as of Sept. 1. To purchase a physical copy you can either pick it up now at one of their tour dates, or pre-order for a shipping date of Sept. 16, 2008.

Tracklisting:
01. Maintenance Hall, 4am
02. A Thread Cut With A Carving Knife
03. Undertow
04. Going, Going, Gone [Live] (Available for free download)
05. 14 Forever
06. Sad Robot

Tour Dates:
Sep 17 – Pearl Street / Northampton, MA*
Sep 18 – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel / Providence, RI*
Sep 19 – Trocadero / Philadelphia, PA*
Sep 20 – Terminal 5 / New York, NY*
Sep 23 – Southgate House / Newport, KY*
Sep 24 – Vic Theatre / Chicago, IL*
Sep 25 – The Pageant / St. Louis, MO*
Sep 26 – The Granada / Lawrence, KS*
Sep 28 – Austin City Limits / Austin, TX#
Oct 01 – Avalon / Los Angeles, CA#
Oct 02 – House of Blues / Anaheim, CA#
Oct 03 – UCSB / Santa Barbara, CA#
Oct 04 – Rio Theatre / Santa Cruz, CA#
Oct 06 – The Fillmore / San Francisco, CA#
Oct 07 – WOW Hall / Eugene, OR#
Oct 08 – Wonder Ballroom / Portland, OR#
Oct 09 – Showbox Theatre / Seattle, WA#
Oct 10 – Western Washington University / Bellingham, WA#

*w/ Bell X1
#w/ Think About Life

Stars: website | myspace | buy digital download

Written by: Bethany

Earlimart is shaping up to be quite the prolific indie rock band with their sixth studio release, Hymn and Her (available now on Majordomo Records), coming out just one year after last July’s Mentor Tormentor. Subtract a few previous members and Earlimart now exists solely as a duo. Specifically, Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray make beautiful hymns together while keeping the ‘him’ and ‘her’ in, well, Hymn and Her. Aside from winning the award for “Album Title Pun Of The Year,” Espinoza and Murray share vocal duties. Although he mostly sings lead while she complements him with backup vocals, this record marks Murray’s debut as a capable female lead vocalist, as well… and hopefully this becomes a signature mainstay.

After countless recommendations from trusted resources, I was hesitant starting my indie rock reconnaissance six albums in. However, Hymn serves as an excellent introduction to their sun-kissed brand of California dream pop. Many claim their entire sound catalogue bears heavy resemblance to the likes of Elliott Smith, Pixies, and Sonic Youth. It also seems to me the sounds crafted here are in the vein of Pedro The Lion, Rogue Wave, Camera Obscura, and American Analog Set. If you already dig these artists, it’s safe to assume you’ll be a fan of Earlimart sooner than Ryan Adams churns out yet another record.

This entire album is incredibly fluid, with each song flowing seamlessly into the next. Boasting a sunny disposition and easy-going feel, Hymn is great for a long drive along the coast or a laid-back evening at home sipping wine on the couch. Thematically speaking, these songs don’t exactly span continents but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because soothing melodies coupled with relatable lyrics is a musical formula that never gets old.

Remember when Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) and Jim Reid (Jesus and Mary Chain) unexpectedly wrote the romantic duet, “Sometimes Always,” that left people wishing they had collaborated on an entire album afterwards? Well, Hymn basically sounds like the album they never made. Much like Reid, Espinoza occasionally rocks the cool guy quasi-spoken word vocals (and actually gets away with it) and as Sandoval, Murray could teach the Feists, Jenny Lewises, and Emily Haineses of today what it is to be sultry. In fact, when Espinoza and Murray’s musical chemistry comes together, they produce gorgeous results. With his resonance and her sensuality, together they “really make babies when the mic’s on” (quoth Kanye West).

In a world of noise-based indie, sometimes it’s nice to discover some great make-out music that’s perfect for getting your horizontal sway on. Espinoza and Murray craft atmospheric mood music that’s meant to be enjoyed by every him and every her during life’s more tender moments. And the instrumental arrangements form sound pieces that are warm, mellow and intimate, much like the prelude to a really good kiss. Sometimes it’s Espinoza’s silky smooth tone, other times its Murray’s wispy backup vocals that serve as gentle coos in an ocean of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s,” but either way… when their vocals collide, you’re in for some sonic sensuality.

The record opens up with “Song For” a catchy number that hits you much like a song on full blast when you turn your engine and realized you left the car radio on. It’s also the album’s best driving tune. The Camera Obscura-esque break-up gem,“Before It Gets Better,” is serene in its simplicity and quite possibly a song we’ve all written in a past-life. Much like a newfound relic of love fallen from grace, this song is hauntingly beautiful and allows Murray’s voice to shine. But it’s “Face Down In The Right Town” that showcases Espinoza crooning along with Murray’s soft “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” and reminds us how harmonious male/female vocal interplay can be. Plus, the surprise trumpet at the end adds a jazzy mariachi feel to mix things up a bit. On “Time For Yourself” (a Murray number), the electronic beats sashay around with simple piano and add a nice contrasting touch that works well with her dreamy voice.

Then there’s a bevy of tracks that are decent Earlimart songs or just good because they sound like some of indie rock’s forerunners. “For The Birds” and “God Loves You The Best” have soaring vocals reminiscent of Rogue Wave, where “Teeth” is a cheap-imitation of “We Used To Be Friends” by The Dandy Warhols, only better and slightly less irritating. “Great Heron Gates” showcases Espinoza’s whispery vocals a la Snow Patrol, plus the usage of bird sounds is the cutest thing since Tom Petty did it on “Learning To Fly.”

My only real criticism is you strip a band down to a male/female duo, name the album Hymn and Her, but oddly… where is the obvious duet? On the uber-romantic title track (“Hymn and Her”), this was a potentially amazing duet that never happened. Murray sings so gently as if she is blowing air on his vocals. This adds even more sweetness to the sounds, but she never gets a chance to shine on her own. An acoustic cover of Postal Service’s “Nothing Better” or perhaps an updated spin on Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Sometimes Always” would have been stellar options they also did not take. It also irks me that they closed with “Tell Me” when second-to-last track “Town Where You Belong,” with its blaring vocal outro and slow hand claps, makes more sense as a closer. But when you find yourself criticizing just for criticism’s sake, you know you’re reviewing one helluva solid album.

Earlimart: website | myspace

Written by: Mona Sheikh