Kurt Vile “Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze” – NEW MUSIC REVIEW
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Never Run Away” by Kurt Vile (Matador Records) Kurt Vile’s lo-fi bedroom records from the past have given way to a more produced sound on his latest record called Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze. While some of the edges have been smoothed out production-wise, the songwriting is as sharp as ever on his most assured collection yet, as he comes to terms with balancing life on the road and raising a family at home. Vile is married and has two young children and more than on any of his previous albums, the overriding theme of homesickness pops up time and time again. Both “Pure Pain” – “well I want to be...
Unknown Mortal Orchestra ‘II’ – NEW MUSIC REVIEW
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “From The Sun” by Unknown Mortal Orchestra Out of the murky haze of gauze- encased melodies and tranquilized, processed vocals arrives the second album from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, cleverly titled II. UMO is the brain child of Ruban Nielson, formally of the band Mint Chicks, who counts artists as diverse as Captain Beefheart and Sly Stone as major influences. Their muffled sound is an amalgam of neo-psychedelic acts like MGMT, Ween, Apples In Stereo and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, coming off like an updated Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. However, their totally unique angular melodies set this group apart from all the rest. It all began in June of 2010, when...
Eels ‘Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “That Look You Gave That Guy” by Eels Eels are capable of bone-chilling, howlin’-at-the-moon, terrifyin’ rock and roll, and when they are in that mode, they are at their very best. But Eels also have a tender side too, as exemplified by this superb ballad from the 2009 album Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs Of Desire. For those that don’t already know, Eels are the handiwork of one Mark Oliver Everett (aka “E”), and whomever he chooses to work with at any particular time. For Lobo, Everett’s co-conspirators were Koool G Murder on bass and Knuckles on drums. The album came after a four year layoff, and was the first (and...
Bread ‘Make it With You’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Make It With You” by Bread To some, Bread’s brand of soft rock was nothing more than insipid drivel. To others they were purveyors of well-crafted, easy listening staples that provided some of the greatest guilty pleasures to be heard on AM radio during the early ‘70s. To me, their songs were minor annoyances that didn’t make me rush to change the station when they used to pop up on the radio, but now their heavenly brand of melody-driven soft rock provides a welcome dose of nostalgia for the wonder years every time I hear them. When they released their first eponymously titled album in 1969, the band consisted of...
Digital Sex ‘Essence’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#812 in the Series) is Digital Sex, Essence Do you know this one? No you say? I somewhat expected that. No, not because the band wasn’t good enough or deserving enough because they indeed were. They were quite good but they were unfortunate to be another one of those talented acts that fell through the cracks. I don’t remember seeing them on MTV and that was the quickest and easiest way to get your name in front of people back in 1986. This was the indie rock of the time period. This was an Indie rock act back when you didn’t have the internet to help promote the little guy. It...
The Jupiter Affect ..”Instructions For the Two Ways of Becoming Alice”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#779 in the Series) is The Jupiter Affect, Instructions For the Two Ways of Becoming Alice Ask a handful of music lovers of a certain age about their favorite Michael Quercio moment, and you’ll be hard-pressed to come up with a consensus. Some will vote for “Jet Fighter,” the appropriately soaring opening track off Sixteen Tambourines, The Three O’ Clock’s 1983 debut album, Others prefer the punk-psych swirl of “She Turns To Flowers” by Quercio’s earlier trio The Salvation Army, the D.Boon-approved combo that played a major role in kick-starting LA’s “Paisley Underground” movement. Still others will tell you that he did his best work in the early 90s with Permanent Green Light....
The Temper Trap “The Temper Trap”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#747 in the Series) is The Temper Trap, The Temper Trap The Temper Trap, an Australian band with a hugely successful debut album. After the release of their summer single “Sweet Disposition,” it became one of the most popular albums of 2009. Everyone knows that the second album is always the hardest, and unfortunately, The Temper Trap’s latest self-titled release reinforces this reality. Reaching number 17 in the UK album charts after its release on the 21st May 2012, this 12-track certainly didn’t do badly in terms of popularity. But, we can’t judge music by numbers. With the opening track “Need Your Love” reminding me of some sort of sci-fi movie theme...
This Providence “Brier”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#732 in the Series) is This Providence, Brier (OK, EP Actually) This Providence was a band that had always been written down in my little book of artists to check out, but for one reason or another, they kept getting passed over. So when I ran my eyes down the openers for Go Radio’s Lucky Street tour, the name rang a bell but I didn’t think much of it. I had bought the ticket on a whim anyway, needing a break from midterms and wanting a chance to explore another area of Boston. The show was at a tiny venue that’s quickly turning into my favorite on the east coast – TT...
Walk the Moon, “Walk the Moon”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#731 in the Series) is Walk the Moon, Walk the Moon Any album whose first track is called “Quesadilla” is a winner in my book. But Walk the Moon go beyond wit and banter to follow through with the clap-happy promise of their self-titled record. It only takes eleven tracks to establish themselves as front runners in the sometimes-stagnant pop scene. They’ve managed to balance a crazy tour schedule, including the SXSW festival, supporting Panic at the Disco and Weezer, and headlining Lollapalooza. They recently played David Letterman (you can check it out below) and did so with an unprecedented energy and appeal. On top of all of this, they continue to...
Stereo Skyline “The Good Life”
Today’s Cool album of the Day (#712 in the Series) is Stereo Skyline, The Good Life Stereo Skyline has evolved a lot over the past couple years – from synth-tapping electro-boppers to sickly sweet pop-rockers, they’ve mutated a little with every new release. After their bassist and guitarist departed last year, remaining members Kevin Bard and Rob Michelson went full speed ahead on releasing another full-length album. They dropped their first single last August, and The Good Life hit stores in full in November. The Good Life is surprisingly similar to their last album, Stuck on Repeat, in that it still has the cutesy lyrics (especially evident in “Man I Think I Love Her” and “My Girl”) and...
