W♥M (Archive)

The Fairline Parkway

The Fairline Parkway - Nowhere To Be The Fairline Parkway Discography [2001] The Ladder Failed (various artists compilation) [2002] Moonbeam Window (EP) [2008] A Memory of Open Spaces See Also Gregor Samsa http://weheartmus... Taking their name from Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is a band with members from... The Fairline Parkway are an indie pop band from Washington, DC. Their sophomore album, A Memory of Open Spaces, from Kora Records is released today, May 27th. The Fairline Parkway started when Zachary Okun and Raj Gadhia met in college, from an anthropology class. They managed to release a self-titled debut record on Lazy Line Records in 2002. (This is terribly off-topic, but I get the sneaky suspicion that the label is named after "Lazy Line Painter Jane", a song from Belle & Sebastian). By 2007, the duo found themselves adding a few other musicians in the band, including same-surnames of Krista and Elmer Sharp (married couple? siblings?), and an old friend, Ben Licciardi. I liked the appearance of Krista's vocals on "Charting Coastlines", "Homesteaders" (as backup), and "Nowhere to Be", which is rare because most of the song are driven by the soft-singing style of Raj Gadhia. You can currently download "Homesteaders" on their myspace. I did mange to listen to their previous effort on Lazy Line, and I have to say that the new album seems to be more organic. Listen to the strings on "Storms And Gales" or xylophone on "Homesteaders", they add a little flavor to their songs.   A Memory of Open Spaces is out now, look for them at the CD Release party on June 15th with Grand Archives & Sera Cahoone at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC.

Links: myspace.com/thefairlineparkway www.thekorarecords.com

Ghost of the Russian Empire

Ghost of the Russian Empire - The Winter Soldier Ghost of the Russian Empire Discography [2006] With Fiercest Demolition (EP) [2008] The Mammoth Sounds Like Radiohead http://weheartmus... I was first introduced to Radiohead through, I think, Melody Maker. Radiohead came slightly befo...

As I previously mentioned, I'm totally using the Google Calendars. What's really cool is you can add weather, so if you're bicycling, like me, you can see right away if it's going to rain seven days in advance so you can plan around it. You can also add show times, for instance, I've added the Lost broadcast to my calendar, because seriously, this show is like on/off and can't keep a steady schedule.

In addition to public calendars, you can also add friends, so feel free to add or to see what CDs are being released and what concerts I'll be attending (usually in Minneapolis, so it's probably not that useful to you).

Well the W♥M Calendar is telling me that it's Memorial Day today... which perfectly leads to "The Winter Soldier" by Austin, Texas' Ghost of the Russian Empire from their debut album, The Mammoth (released on May 13^th).

This whole album seems to have been inspired by (later) Radiohead with, possibly Doves influences. Singer, Brandon Whitten, does also have Thom Yorke-like quality vocals (especially on "The Black Mark"), and if you're still not convinced he's a huge Radiohead fan, here is a blog entry from him:

In Rainbows--thoughts?
Thursday, October 11, 2007

how's everyone liking the new radiohead album? i'm probably extremely biased because they're my favorite band, so it's hard for them to do wrong in my eyes (ears?). i think it's pretty damn solid. a little more chilled out in some spots and minimalized to good effect. i really hope they tour again soon. anyways, just want to see what you all are thinking.

I felt the band is at best when it's more rock n roll in "A Decade Without a Death" and "The Winter Soldier". I do appreciate them trying new sounds like creepy atmospheric background noises in "Hammer Hands" and feedback guitar technique on "Bleeding Machines", but when you have an image of a giant mammoth as an iconic symbol for your album, you just expect more monstrous loud rock or something. This is more of an image/perception thing on my behalf, however.

If you're a fan of Radiohead with a dab of psychedelic rock, don't pass The Mammoth, out now on Thirty Ghosts Records.

Links: ghostoftherussianempire.com myspace.com/ghostoftherussianempire

Langhorne Slim at the 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05/25/08)

Langhorne Slim - Rebel Side Of Heaven Langhorne Slim     Langhorne Slim ♥ photo by Vu Tour Dates 05/26/08 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI 05/27/08 Mad Planet Milwaukee, WI 05/28/08 Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL 05/29/08 The Hideout Chicago, IL 05/30/08 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, PA 05/31/08 Music Hall Brooklyn, NY 06/01/08 Soundfix Records Brooklyn, NY 06/04/08 WXPN’s "World Cafe" Radio 06/04/08 NPR’s World Cafe David Dye 06/05/08 WTMD Summer Concert, MD 06/06/08 World Cafe Live Philly, PA 06/07/08 TT The Bears Cambridge, MA 06/17/08 Le Divian Orange Montreal, PQ 06/18/08 Horseshoe Toronto, ON 06/19/08 Grog Shop Cleveland, OH 06/20/08 Pike Room Crofoot Pontiac, MI 06/21/08 Ruby Tuesday Columbus, OH 06/22/08 Off Broadway St. Louis, MO 06/24/08 Aquarium Fargo, ND 06/26/08 Sled Island  Calgary, AB 07/03/08 High Sierra  Day 1 Quincy, CA 07/04/08 High Sierra Day 2 Quincy, CA 08/01/08 Pickathon Happy Valley, OR 08/02/08 Pickathon  Happy Valley, OR 09/19/08 Bristol Rhythm  Bristol, TN 09/20/08 Bristol Reunion Bristol, TN

I went to see Langhorne Slim at Minneapolis' 400 Bar. Langhorne Slim is just the stagename for Sean Scolnick, who probably got his nickname from growing up in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He is currently based out of northern California.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, they felt like bayou boogie with pure Americana roots music. He's joined on stage by the War Eagles (upright bassist Paul Defiglia and drummer Malachi DeLorenzo), and this is just one of the stop in their long Summer tour to promote his self-titled release, Langhorne Slim (released April 29^th).

Apparently, appearing on numerous music magazines and regular appearances on NPR have really helped turnout of his show. He seems to have a very dedicated bunch of college-type fans, who can sing to all his song (and they loudly demonstrated this too).

I only know one of his song, "Rebel Side Of Heaven", which was well-received live. This song is currently on heavy rotation on various radio station, including KCRW.

Opening up for Langhorne was, local one-man-band Will Tolle. His set included the Bob Marley cover, "Redemption Song", and original songs like "I Don't Want a Girl From Edina". He certain have his local fans and friends, and I felt they had mostly left (but replaced by an even bigger audience) before The Builders & the Butchers came on stage.

The Builders & the Butchers Tambourine ♥ artwork by Ray

I like this band from Portland, Oregon. The audiences really dug them too, who participated in several of their songs. I ended up buying one of their $5 tambourine, which I thought was really cool.

As it turns out, talking to Ray who designed the artwork for the tambourines - these are really hot items for them (and with each stop on their tour, they are running very low on them). The artworks were done using stencils and spray paint, and on my particular design, leaves were used to create those patterns.

Langhorne Slim, currently on tour with The Builders & the Butchers, so try and catch them if they're coming through your town.

Links: www.langhorneslim.com myspace.com/langhorneslim myspace.com/thebuildersandthebutchers

International Metal

Headhunter - Parasite of Society Discography [1990] Parody of Life [1992] A Bizarre Gardening Accident [1994] Rebirth [2008] Parasite Of Society

In an effort to help out Soup, who is getting a ton of stuff from me, I've picked out a few metal bands to review - mostly because of their international appeal.

As you know, metal is huge everywhere, so here are a few from different countries:

Headbangers, rejoice, Germany's Headhunter is back after 13 years with the release of Parasite Of Society, out in Germany a few days ago on May 23^rd. US fans will have to wait until the official release date of June 10^th, from Candlight Records.

Listening to the album, it sounds as if this power/thrash metal band never really left the 90's, which is just fine for fans of this band. Believe me, just doing brief research on this band, I came across so many blog entries from fans who were absolutely were looking forward to this album for so many years. From my understanding, this new album is more "power" than previous efforts.

 

 

Headhunter - 18 and Life

Headhunter

Also, this really suprises me, but their songs are sung in English, not German. I did enjoy their storytelling songs, particularly "18 and Life", which tells the story of poor Ricky who joined the army (as it turns out, this is a Skid Row cover song, see comments below).

They also show off their headbanging badge too, of course, doing such songs as "Parasite Of Society" and "Doomsday for the Prayer" (singer Schmier seems to be channeling Axl Rose here).

The newly reformed trio will make a special appearance at Wacken Open Air Festival on August 1^st. Parasite of Society is available now in Germany, early June for US.

Dantesco - Aguila de Sangre Dantesco Discography [Jul 2004] Dantesco (demo) [May 2005] De La Mano De La Muerte   [Apr 2008] Pagano

Puerto Rico's most famous metal band is undoutably Dantesco. As their name suggests, "Dantesque", I believe they're named after the poet, Dante from Florence, Italy, who wrote The Divine Comedy. They've just released Pagano on April 24^th on Cruz Del Sur Music (I would link to their website, except google seems to think that this website "may harm your computer").

I like the weird horn at the beginning of "Aguila de Sangre" (Eagle of Blood), and the song has a nice epic feel, being about seven minutes long. Plus check out the guitar shredding in the middle of the song.

Since all the songs are in Spanish, I couldn't really tell you too much about the meaning of the song, but I reckon if you like doom metal, this might be right up your alley.

By the way, interestingly enough, there is a song called "De La Mano De La Muerte" (Of the Hand of Death), which should've appeared on their debut album of the same name... but somehow is on this second album. Listening to it, the song really doesn't belong on their release - mostly because this is a (quieter) acoustic song, whose only purpose seems to be a nice break between the other heavier songs.

Currently, the band is planning on playing a few dates, mostly in the Florida area, although the venues are still to be determined:

07/10/08 Jacksonville, Florida
07/11/08 Orlando, Florida
07/12/08 Miami, Florida
07/13/08 Tampa, Florida

 

If you're going to pick up Pagano, check out that there is a Limited Edition Slipcase version that includes an embroidered patch that was released April 11^th prior to their appearance at the Up the Hammers Greek Festival.

 

 

Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa

Finland's Teräsbetoni have been in the news lately. Their third album Myrskyntuoja reached the top 40, mostly based on their amazing music video for "Missä Miehet Ratsastaa" (Where All The Men Ride Forth) for Eurovision 2008. The video is about these norsemen/vikings who found themselves in the modern age, where they find themselves becoming a metal band... it looks more like a wonderful movie rather than a music video (well, that is at the beginning of the video...)

 

Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa

Maybe Christopher or someone in the UK can let me know if Teräsbetoni's been eliminated yet.

 

I got a press release that also mention that lead singer, J Ahola, is preparing Northern Kings' album Reborn for a June 16^th release. From the description, they're a rock operatic supergroup comprising of four heavy metal singers.

Looking at the track listing, it seems they're all cover songs, the most interesting covers includes "Creep" (Radiohead), "We Don't Need Another Hero" (Tina Turner) and "In The Air Tonight" (Phil Collins).

Links: official-headhunter.com myspace.com metalhordes.com myspace.com/dantescoepico terasbetoni.com

Soup wrote: Sun, May 25, 2008 at 2:25 AM

Actually, you'd be surprised. It's not uncommon for metal bands from non-English speaking countries to sing in English because it makes it easier for them to get their music out to English speaking countries, who tend to be really enthusiastic about metal. Bands that don't do that tend to have trouble "making it" in the UK and the US. But a few examples off the top of my head: Emperor (Norway), Mayhem (Norway), Running Wild (Germany), Sepultura (Brazil), and literally countless others.

I totally want to hear a metal band covering Tina Turner. That sounds awesome.

Skid Row - 18 & Life

 

crankypants wrote: Sun, May 25, 2008 at 11:16 AM

Didn't Skid Row or one of those late 80s/early 90s bands have a song called 18 & Life?

Yup

Ricky didn't join the army in that one though....

Eurovision 2008

Yup, that time of year again. Europe collectively moans, and the rest of you stare on in disbelief. So I missed the first half (oh, no, how could i...) and the Irish chicken never made it anyway. Still, here's a best of, and it's still going on so expect one or more new ones later...

France
Sebastien Tellier's Divine sounds a bit like Pulp crossed with the Beach Boys. How can he winlose ... win? Lose. Be positive Pepsi... France weren't quite so impressed and got in a right huff that he sung in English. Personally I'd be more worried about all the beards. Check out the Sexuality album it's from for a retro hit.

SEBASTIEN TELLIER - DIVINE - OFFICIAL VIDEO

Georgia
The first stand out track I saw, Diana Gurtskaya's "Peace Will Come" ain't so good in video form, but along with being one of many trying to goth it up this year, they were much better live. Maybe not those white headed twa... err... but how the hell'd they get changed so fast?

Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come - Eurovision 2008 Georgia

Bosnia & Herzegovina
Just caught this on the catch-up. If I didn't know any better I'd say it's the reformed Moldy Peaches. Lord knows they have enough press for it... anyway, it's actually just one guy, Elvir Laković aka. Laka, the song is Pokušaj, and it's damn good once you get past 1.30. Epic in a Baywatch titles kinda way.

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Eurovision 2008. Semi-final.

- Christopher

 

Jovana Janković

Björn Gustafsson gives points in 2008 Eurovision

Cat wrote: Sat, May 24, 2008 at 5:24 PM

I love the woman who is co hosting. She's like a villian in some bad movie. And a classic moment when they bought out the old girl who won the first Eurovision.

And I can't remember who was singing but the dancers wearing white. The guys in long white shorts and long white socks. Too much. It's always like watching a school concert.

daljian wrote: Sun, May 25, 2008 at 3:45 AM

Björn Gustafsson is his name.

He is an upcoming swedish comedian (Done only swedish stuff I think)

youtube.com/results?search_query

Sheri Miller

 

 

Sheri Miller - The Blade

Sheri Miller

Sheri Miller is a folk/pop singer/songwriter from New York. She recently just released her debut EP, Mantra on February 25^th.

According to her biography, she's been composing her own music since she was a child... influences includes Beethoven to Pink Flloyd to Fiona Apple, a pretty interesting mix. She found herself moving from Long Island to Brooklyn, performing at open mics.

Here's Miller explaining about her first Casio keyboard purchase:

I clearly remember one Saturday night in particular, I had an extremely vivid dream about this small black, white and gray Casio keyboard. The next morning I woke up with the image of the keyboard still clear in my mind, and took a different more scenic route that day, through an underpass of green trees. So I’m walking, and there’s this one-day church sale, where they had the exact Casio keyboard I had dreamed of the night before. I quickly ran to the ATM, bought the keyboard for $20 and started seriously writing my songs on that sweet, broken-keyed, buzzing Casio from that day on.

So, I got to listen to 6-track EP, and I was really taken with "The Blade", what a great song to end the EP with. I felt like I know this song, especially with its sweeping chorus: "you're not the only one in the world/Everyone hurts, everyone hurts".

The first song, "Waste My Breath" is also worth checking out. This song is the poppiest/easily accessible song, and it's currently available for download on myspace. The other poppy song is "Devil in White", which sounds a little more country than you might think.

"Mantra (I'm in Love)" (which the EP is named after), "All He Has to Do", "The Blade" and "Right Here, Right Now", all features cello playing by Dave Eggar. If you listen carefully, you'll hear the subtle cello, it has a very distinctive sound. The strings (in some cases are accompanied by violins from Rachel Golub) does not take over the song, but instead serves to back up Miller, who is the real star here.

All these songs are streaming on her myspace, so check it out if you want to play along at home... or better yet, you can get Mantra via CD Baby and you can catch her at the Rockwood Music Hall in New York on June 8^th.

Links: www.sherimiller.com myspace.com/sherimiller cdbaby.com/cd/sherimiller

A K Records Summer: Jeremy Jay / Desolation Wilderness

Jeremy Jay - Heavenly Creatures Jeremy Jay  Discography [May 2007] Dreamland [Jun 2007] Moonbeam Window (EP) [Oct 2007] Airwalker (EP) [Dec 2007] We Were There (EP) [Apr 2008] A Place Where We Could Go

Jeremy Jay Tour Dates 06/13/08 Mar Vista, CA KXLU 88.9 06/20/08 LA, CA The Echo 06/29/08 Tucson, AZ Solar Culture 06/30/08 Phoenix, AZ Trunk Space 07/02/08 Oklahoma City, OKConservatory 07/03/08 Austin, TX Emo's 07/05/08 Houston, TX Orange Show 07/07/08 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone 07/08/08 Nashville, TN End 07/09/08 Atlanta, GA 07/10/08 Charlotte, NC Chalet 2000 07/11/08 Northfolk, VA Boot 07/12/08 Washington, DC Red and Black 07/13/08 Baltimore, MD Talking Head 07/14/08 Philadelphia, PA Green Rock 07/15/08 New York, NY Mercury Lounge 07/16/08 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall 07/17/08 Providence, RI Living Room 07/18/08 Boston, MA 07/19/08 Rochester, NY Bug Jar 07/20/08 Montreal, QB Zoobizarre 07/21/08 Ottawa ON 07/22/08 Toronto, Ontario 07/23/08 Cleveland, OH Beachland 07/24/08 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern 07/25/08 Madison, WI Project Lodge 07/26/08 Minneapolis, MN 7th Str Entry 07/27/08 Slowdown Omaha, NE 07/28/08 Kansas, MS Record Bar 07/30/08 Denver, CO Hi Dive 08/01/08 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court 08/02/08 Boise, ID Neurolux 08/04/08 Vancouver Pub 340 08/05/08 Olympia, WA 08/06/08 Portland, OR Backspace 08/14/08 Seattle, WA Chop Suey 08/16/08 SF, CA Club Donut 08/18/08 SF CA Knockout 12/07/08 Angel Town, CA Hologram Read More Jeremy Jay http://weheartmus... Jeremy Jay is tall, blonde, and may or may not be described as “cherubic,” physical descriptors t...

You may have remembered our coverage of Jeremy Jay, well it looks like he's about to do a long Summer tour, covering just about every state!

The tour is in support of his album, A Place Where We Could Go, which was released late April and apparently, "Escape to Aspen" will be Jay's next single (however, looking at K's schedule, it looks like it might be Alpharythym for June 17^th)

Speaking of single, Jay's record label, K Records, also recently released Until Forever (May 20^th), an EP by Desolation Wilderness.

 

Desolation Wilderness-Goodbye Summer Girl

I did manage to check out this band, it would seem they're based out of Olympia, Washington, and have been releasing music since 2006.

I grabbed the first track "Goodbye Summer Girl" on their myspace and it sounds like some warpy and wacky music transmitted from outer space... perfect for those wasted nights in the backyard starring at the sky.

They're also about to do some tour dates, but as of this writing, most of those venues are "to be announced".

Check back on their website or myspace for updates.

Links: myspace.com/jeremyjay desolationwilderness.net www.krecs.com

Bill O'Reilly Dance Remix

Bill O'Reilly Flips Out — DANCE REMIX   George Bush - Sunday Bloody Sunday Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video "Yes, We Shall" Music Video - Vote Cobra '08 See Also Office Lip Dubs http://weheartmus... OK, here's something slightly off-topic but still music-related. I first saw this video a few mon...

I don't normally do an all-out video posts, but after watching the hilarious Bill O'Reilly blowing his top off and having it "remixed" in a techno dance song, I was inspired to write about it.

So, if you didn't know, O'Reilly lost his temper after having some issues with the teleprompter and somehow the video got leaked on youtube. Like all things online, it's the subject of various parodies and the best one is this dance remix.

This video reminds me of some internet guy taking apart a George Bush speech and making it sound like Bush is singing U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

The source of this video is originally taken from the 2003 State of the Union Address, however the crowd shots were not from the same union address. There's no additional information, but you can try and contact the original creator: thepartyparty.com.

And speaking of politics, remember that Barack Obama music video from will.i.am, from The Black Eye Peas? All the lyrics from this song was based on excerpts from Obama's speech from January 2008 at the New Hampshire presidential primary election. You can find all the details at yeswecansong.com.

What I love is that G4TV parodied this video for Cobra Commander (from G.I.Joe). The song made reference to outrageous Cobra plans for world domination and is written by Jonathan Mann, aka GameJew. He's also the person responsible for writing the music to the the hilarious X-Men: The Musical.

COBRALALALA!

 

Links: weheartmusic.com

Ben Sollee - If You're Going To Lead My Country

Ben Sollee - A Change is Gonna Come Ben Sollee Tour Dates 05/22/08 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA* 05/23/08 Deerfields Amp Horseshoe, NC* 05/24/08 Deerfields Amp Horseshoe, NC* 05/25/08 DFest-Grandstand Cumberland,MD* 05/27/08 Sellersville Theatre Sellersville, PA* 05/29/08 Battery Park New York* 05/30/08 Empire Ctr @ Egg Albany, NY* 05/31/08 Iron Horse Northampton, MA* 06/03/08 Red Light Atlanta, GA 06/04/08 The Basement Nashville, TN 06/05/08 Uncommon Grounds Chicago, IL 06/07/08 Old Town School of  Chicago, IL* 06/08/08 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN 06/11/08 Headliners Louisville, KY 06/12/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/13/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/14/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/15/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/16/08 Grimey’s Nashville, TN 06/16/08 The Basement Nashville, TN 06/25/08 Wolf Trap Farm Park Vienna, WV* 06/27/08 Paramount Charlottesville, VA* 06/28/08 Troubadour West Hollywood, CA* 06/29/08 SoHo Music Club SBarbara, CA* 06/30/08 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA* 07/03/08 High Sierra Music Fest Quincy, CA* 07/10/08 L Sup Chautauqua Bayfield, WI* 07/11/08 Winnipeg Folk Fest Winnipeg, MB* 07/13/08 Vancouver Is  Vancouver, BC* 07/14/08 Benaroya Hall Seattle, WA* 07/17/08 Boarding House Park Lowell, MA* 07/18/08 Grey Fox Ancramdale, NY* 07/19/08 Vancouver Folk  Vancouver, BC* 07/20/08 Vancouver Folk  Vancouver, BC* 07/26/08 RockyGrass Festival Lyons, CO* 07/27/08 Calgary Folk Music Calgary, AB* 08/01/08 Kaslo Bay Park-Music Kaslo, BC* 08/03/08 Dunegrass Empire, MI* 08/08/08 Grand Targhee Alta, WY* 08/09/08 Edmonton Folk Edmonton, AB* 08/10/08 Regina Folk Festival Regina, SK* 08/13/08 US Embassy  Chaoyang, Beijing* 08/21/08 US Embassy Chaoyang, Beijing* 08/27/08 Waterfront Park Louisville, KY 08/29/08 Moe Down Turin, NY* 09/11/08 Memorial Hall Chapel Hill, NC* 09/13/08 Dominican UniPAC River Forest, IL* 09/20/08 Miami of Ohio Hamilton, OH* 10/01/08 Fisher Center Woodstock, NY 10/02/08 Town Crier Cafe Pawling, NY* 10/04/08 Flynn Theatre Burlington, VT* 10/17/08 Ferst Center for the Arts Atlanta,GA* 10/19/08 Lake Eden Arts Black Mountain,NC* *with the Sparrow Quartet Discography [May 2008] Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet [May 2008] If You're Going To Lead My Country (EP) [Jun 2008] Learning to Bend

 

When not playing in Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet, you can find cellist Ben Sollee releasing solo material and it looks like he's permanently on tour. Abigail Washburn's album was just released last Tuesday, May 20^th, which I actually don't have a review copy, but they look like an Americana / bluegrassy-type of band (especially with that banjo).

You can buy Ben Sollee's If You're Going To Lead My Country 2-track EP for 10 Pepsi Points (which I bought this morning using said points). The two tracks are "A Change is Gonna Come" and "A Few Honest Words". Both songs will appear on his debut album, Learning To Bend to be released on June 10^th, which we are going to review here on W♥M.

Sollee talks about the political EP title and about his Sam Cooke's cover:

It's time...time for new leadership in this country. In my travels I've had conversations with all the demographics and they too, regardless of political affiliation, believe it's time for a change. My mind is consumed with the potential that is ahead of us all and this new EP, if you're gonna lead my country..., is not meant to criticize, but rather inspire. One of my musical and personal heroes, Sam Cooke envisioned change for his race, and in my adaptation of his song 'A Change is Gonna Come' I envision it for our country and global community.

If You're Going To Lead My Country was just released on May 12^th, look for Learning To Bend sometime in early June.

Links: myspace.com/bensollee myspace.com/abigailwashburn

EPs: The Small Cities / Venna / Retar-D2

 

The Small Cities - Fargo

The Small Cities

 

I have on my calendar to talk about St Paul, Minnesota's The Small Cities (thesmallcities.com) today, because they have an EP coming out on May 23^rd on Common Cloud Records (edit: the official release date is May 27^th). Their biography doesn't really list anything that exciting - however I can draw a conclusion that one of the guys might be Swedish: Leif Bjornson. I would also reckon that they (Leif and David Osborn) met in a small town (Amery, Wisconsin).

I had to look that up on googlemaps, which actually looks kind of close to Minneapolis/St Paul.

Having listened to the EP, I thought "Fargo" was a little more exciting than the opening track "This City", which seems to have a backup singer on the lines "the city's grown bigger since you've gone". "Fargo" is also a faster-paced song, and I enjoyed the bassline on this track.

The two other songs, "Trust Me, I'm NOT a Stalker" (just that title alone is kind of creepy) and "I'm Gone" (with some interesting use of some odd sounding percussion instrumental) sums up this band as very indie/alternative. They're a little slower sounding band, but it's introspective, which also means you have to be in the mood for this.

I am told that they are playing at The Turf Club for a CD release party on May 23^rd and at Eclipse Records in St Paul, on June 13^th.

 

 

Venna - The Reckoning

I wasn't asked to talk about Wisconsin's Venna (vennamusic.com) who released their debut EP, last month on April 22^nd, but I thought I should mention it as they're also on the same record label.

Apparently this band is working on some demos and currently selling it via etsy.com, and as you know I'm actually a big fan of homemade/handmade craft stuff. The CD case looks like it's wrapped in tissue paper (?) and held together by yawn with a pin.

I did manage to listen to their 6-track EP, and this bands seems to be mostly acoustic guitar-driven. They're centered around some folky vocals by singer Heather.

Of all the songs, I thought "The Reckoning" was the best in the EP, which features some other instruments and you can hear the thumbing from Mikey.

 

 

Retar-D2 - 10 - GAME OVER

Finally, I was recently offered "Game Over", from Pennsylvania's Retar-D2. You can grab even more demos MP3s from his myspace.com/retard2, and apparently they are from his to-be-released album High Scores!

The song starts off with that very, very familiar Pac-Man dying theme and then goes into a trance/beat song. It's repetitive at first, but waiting to the middle of the song and you start to hear some melody. This song should definitely appeal to all nerds and gamers.

I later read that all his songs are constructed from samples from drum-machines made in the '70s or '80s, so just keep that in mind when you hear it.

Links: thesmallcities.com myspace.com/thesmallcities vennamusic.com myspace.com/vennamusic