Friday, May 23, 2014

Vol. 5 Episode 20



The new video for the first single, BZRK, for the up coming Family Force 5 video is out today. Check it out!

Jonsi has helped out on the new single from the up coming How To Train Your Dragon 2 movie. I can’t get the song to play on Soundcloud but maybe you all can.

The first single has been released digitally for supporters of the new OK Go album. Download it now if you have contributed at Pledgemusic.

Here we go...



This is the latest album from The Black Keys. It was released on the ninth of May, 2014. This is their eights studio album. Dangermouse is sited as co-writer for the album and has been working with them since their fifth album, Attack And Release. This new album has a darker feel to it, probably due to the fact that the lead singer had just gone through a divorce before the album had been finished. The album shies away from the straight blues-rock sound and heads for a more psychedelic and soul sound. There are eleven tracks on the album. As I have read in other articles, the group did not go into the studio with a bunch of songs in their back pocket. They create the music in the studio on the fly, so to speak. This just shows how creative they really are. The cover art was influenced by a Twitter dispute with Justin Bieber fans in which he was recommended a movie called The Peanut Butter Solution. The movie focuses on Mind control, hence the spiral on the cover. The title of the album is a shout out to Ghoulardi, a fictional TV character/announcer for horror television in Cleveland, Ohio.

There have been two singles released from the album so far. The first single is called Fever. I talked about this song in Vol. 5 Episode 12. I had this to say about the song, “With the announcement of a new album from The Black Keys, a new single has been released called Fever. You can get an instant download with the preorder from The Black Keys web page. The song is fun and takes the group in a new direction. The first time I heard the song I was a bit hurt because it was not the sound that I was expecting from them. On further listens I have opened up to the idea that they can branch out into different avenues of old school blues music and use keyboards in a star roll for example. The song lets the bass take the lead for the most part on this track too. I think that Danger Mouse taking the producer position helps to advance this group in those new ways again. I am very excited to get my hands on this album when it is released!” It still stands as a good song

The second single is the title track from the album, TurnBlue. I talked about the song in Vol. 5 Episode 14. I had this to say about the song, “I actually like this track better than the first single. The both of these new singles have been released together in CD format. The CD single comes with a discount coupon for the new album. It is a unique little something that I have not seen. The new title track song, Turn Blue, has a really smooth blues feel that I like a lot. The drums and bass combine to make this awesome sounding drive. There is also this digital distortion that floats in the back ground that I really like. The guitar work on the track reminds me of the old school R&B sounds. This track really works well and I am excited for the new album based on these two new tracks.” I still really like this song especially the distorted buzz that floats in the background.

I have heard rumors that Bullet In The Brain will be the third single from the album. This track is a slower track than the first two singles and has a heavy acoustic feel to it. Although Danger mouse is all over it with synth sounds. I really dig the bass guitar sound when you can hear it on its own during the verse parts. The song really follows the loud quiet loud ethic with the verse being the quiet part. The song has the potential to be a single if that is where they are going to go with the song.

The following song on the album, called It’s Up To You Now, has a great rhythm and keeps that rhythm through the song. I think this song is really amazing with the rhythm, chords and instrument play that happens on the song. The guitar solo is especially sweet. This is very unique for the band as Auerbach is not known for the solos in The Black Keys music. I hope that this is a new addition to the sound of the group on albums to come.

The last song on the album is called Gotta Get Away. The song is completely different from the rest of the album. It smacks of southern rock brought into the 2010s. It is good but, for me it doesn’t seem to fit the album at all. This is actually what the group was after. They intended it to be a pallet cleanser of sorts. Patric Carney said, “Actually, I think it works well at the end, too. It erases your brain from whatever heavy elements there are in the record. I think maybe it encourages you to go back and listen to the record again.”

Sea Wolf – Song Spells No. 1: Cedarsmoke
Not much information has been released about this album as of yet. It has been released to the Kickstarter funders early, May 14, 2014, in digital format and will be released digitally to the rest of the world at a later date. The physical formats and other perks will be sent out to supporters as they are finished. I did get the colored and signed version of the album. This is a kickstarter only deal and will probably take some extra time as Alex, the lead singer, will be signing these limited colored versions. I will make sure to keep you all posted when the items start coming in the mail. I am not positive but when I get the record there may be a few extras in the box. The albums sound goes back to the roots of the group. This is because of the stripped down nature of the album. It is very meloncoly and reminds me of the first album that Sea Wolf released, Leaves In The River. This is my favorite album from the group but this new stripped down version is going to give it a run for its money. It is not a happy album but I feel good after listening to the album. The album consists of ten tracks.

I have no idea if there will be any singles released from this album as it is the first time that Sea Wolf has done a crowd funded album. There are some exceptional tracks on the album though. The second track on the album, called Rams Head, is one of those exceptional tracks. The song is basically just Alex and his acoustic guitar. The chord progression on the song is perfect simplicity. There is an additional acoustic guitar and backing vocals during the chorus and an additional instrument that I am not sure of that comes in toward the end of the song. This is one of my favorite tracks from the album.

I also like the track called Young Bodies. The song uses some synth sounds in the background to add some atmosphere. There is also an electric guitar that floats behind the acoustic guitar to give the acoustic some depth. I have never heard this done before. I think it is a pretty way to get focus on the acoustic guitar over the electric. I also like the finger picking that Alex does with this track. The sound of the guitar has a grounded earthy sound that works so well with his vocals. The first time that I heard the song I thought that this was the title track since he uses the name of the album, Cedarsmoke, in the lyrics. when I went back to figure out what track was what I realized this was incorrect and that the title track was a music only song.

The track Whitewoods also stands out for me. The title alone reminds me of a birch forest. There is a squeeze box of some kind used in the song. I am not usually a fan of this sound but since it was used on the first album, I have kind of gotten use to the sound used within the confines of the group. The instrument is used mainly as a background sound but it works very well. This is more of a full band track and very sad sounding. It gives me the feeling of a birch forest in the middle of a rain storm that can bee seen through a hand made glass window in a log cabin from across the dirt road. I don’t think that I can give a clearer picture. It is a very pretty song.

The last song that I really liked from this new album is called The Water’s Wide. It is a quicker song that is pushed by the drums and the picking of the acoustic guitar. The bass that is the link between the drums and the guitar works just as hard as the guitar and the drums with the finger picking that is done on this instrument. It is really amazing to hear these instruments interact. There is also an electronic guitar that is used very sparingly. It gives some atmosphere as does the strings that are playing at the end of the song. There is something special about this chorus. It may be that it reminds me of the song that I use to sing at church that talks about the river being not only wide but deep giving reference to god’s love for us all.

I can’t recommend this album enough to those that have any interest in Sea Wolf or in the new alt country movement that has been going on for a while now. If you had any interest in the first album this one will sit well with you.



This is the third album from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (The Pains). It was released on May 13, 2014 through a new record company called Yebo Music. This release is labeled YEBO 001, so I have to go with the idea that this is the first release from the record company. InSound records put out a color variant of the vinyl release calling it bone white. It is more of a pastel yellow in my opinion but is still a pretty color. There were only 500 copies pressed in this limited color and, as of this typing, there were still a few copies left at InSound. Jen Goma, of A Sunny Day In Glasgow sang back up vocals through the album along with singing lead vocals on two tracks (Kelly and Life After Life).  

Kip Berman leaked a black and white video prior go the release of the first single of him playing the first song on the album called ArtSmock. This was the first clue that there was going to be a new album. The song is super simple with, primarily Kip singing and playing acoustic guitar. The accompaniment is super simple with a soaring light synth chord in the background and a synth xylophone accenting the important points. There is an electric guitar playing in the background as well but it just adds to the ambiance in the background of the track.

The first official single is called Simple And Sure. I talked about this track in Vol. 5 Episode 10. This is what I had to say, “The music for the song is happier than the music that has been released from the group in the past. It is for sure more pop and I think that is what Kip is aiming for. The specific parts are more bright and different as his backing band line up has changed since the last two albums.” I really like the fact that there is a physical release, 7” record, for this song. I hope that there will be releases for the other singles that have been released from this album too.

The second single from the album is called Eurydice.  I hear everyone calling this 90s pop. I can’t remember anything that sounded like this in the 90s. I think it is more late 80s pop than anything anyone has mentioned yet. It is gorgeous music though. The synth layers combined with the thumping bass track and drums make this one of my favorites on the album. The chorus, although noisy, has a wonderful lush sound with that Pat Benatar styled backing vocal. It is a great sparkling pop track that makes me feel good.

The newest single to be released from the album is called Until The Sun Explodes. There has been a big deal about this song since its release because of the video. The video totally reminds me of the cartoon from the 80s called Jem with a logo at the end that resembles the He-man logo from that cartoon. So much nostalgic fun, it is ridiculous. The video works so well simply because the song fits that 80s aesthetic of cartoons that sold action figures. I would totally buy the action figures of the characters that are in the video. Maybe Kip will read this and try to get something going in that department. I mean Korn did it as did Kiss. Why couldn’t The Pains!

This is a genius album that I would never have expected from The Pains considering the pattern of the first two albums. I hope that this trend of 80s indie pop continues or at least merges with the ideas that were on the first two albums. All of the music that they have created is pure bliss in my opinion. Keep it up Kip!
 
That is all for this week. I think that next week will be a double post for the holiday...

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