Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins “Rabbit Fur Coat”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1051 in the Series) is Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat. I wasn’t familiar with Jenny Lewis when she appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Show a few years back. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of her, since I was a little familiar with her band Rilo Kiley. I guess just not enough. I had just walked in the door, flipped on the TV as they took the stage on that Kimmel episode. I really liked what I was hearing. This was my sound. This was square in “my wheelhouse” to lean on a cliche. It was at the end of a day when I was in one of my “Gram Parsons moods” so her...
Juice Lucafo Releases Debut Single “All Tied Up” Via “Grow Music Project”
GROW MUSIC PROJECT is proud to present episode #06 of “GMP • The Session Diaries”, a new documentary web series about great emerging independent artists and bands that you might not know, but should. Ep.#06 features JUICE LUCAFO, hailing from Phoenix, AZ, (via Chicago, IL) Juice puts you straight away into the heart of the song, especially with a track like “All Tied Up.” There’s no filler with Juice – If she wants to say something, she says it – and with a vocal prowess that is as impressive as it is unique. She’s the complete artist – one that blows you away and remains stuck in your head after just one listen. This episode chronicles the creative...
Ummagma .. ‘Rotation’ b/w ‘Live and Let Die’
Today’s Cool ‘Album’ of the Day (#906 in the Series) is Ummagma “Rotation” b/w “Live and Let Die.” To paraphrase the bio on their website, Ummagma is a Canadian-Ukranian duo comprised of Alexander Kretov and Shauna McLarnon. They deliver an eclectic yet harmonious kaleidoscope of dream pop, post-punk, ambient/ethereal, shoegaze and spacerock, creating sublime resonance, beats and rhythm to create other worldly soundscapes. Truthfully, it would be hard for me to describe them any more clearly than that. If you are a fan of shoegaze (Lush, My Bloody Valentine), dream pop (Air, Chvrches, The Cranberries), or space rock (Pink Floyd, The Verve) then in all likelihood this is a band you should give a listen to. More specifically,...
The Sundays ‘Reading, Writing and Arithmetic’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#900 in the Series) is The Sundays, Reading Writing and Arithmetic I have never been that big a fan of the MP3 revolution. For one, it put the buying power of music more into “tweens” and teens who for the most part do not have very good taste in music. As a result, the themes in popular music became much less sophisticated. Artists were no longer developed, they were produced because it was no longer albums that mattered but singles. Not to mention, soon shows such as American Idol came along offering to make anyone a “star” as opposed to these people working their way up in the traditional way where you hone and perfect...
Popkissed .. ‘It’s a Fine Day’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#893 in the Series) is Popkissed, It’s a Fine Day (Aquavit Records) If you loved Madonna’s hypnotic hit “Frozen,” then you’re sure to dig the equally trance-inducing sound of the Norwegian duo Popkissed. The beat is just as steady, driven by simple, catchy drumlines and encompassed by Lill-Ann Blauenfeldt’s bold, controlled vocals. She might not command the Material Girl’s vocal range, but there is something about Lill-Ann’s heavy alto that lends her delivery an almost tangible intimacy. Creating the vivid soundscapes through which Blauenfeldt’s husky musings float like a restless lark is producer Robert Solheim. These two talents are the heart and soul of Popkissed, an electro-pop act that has just upped the ante...
Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs ‘Mosquito’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Always” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeah’s last album It’s Blitz was the group’s most mainstream effort, garnering them a much wider audience than they previously had. In contrast, their latest album, Mosquito is much less dancefloor friendly and hearkens back to their earlier electro trash sound. Although, the dense, layered atmospheric production makes the record initially far less satisfying than its predecessor, with repeated spins the songs begin to insinuate themselves and you begin to realize just how great this record is. Yeah Yeah Yeahs consist of Karen O (aka Karen Orzolek) on vocals, Nick Zinner on guitar and Brian Chase on drums. Karen O met Chase while attending...
Future Bible Heroes ‘Partygoing’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Keep Your Children In A Coma” by Future Bible Heroes Stephin Merritt is one of today’s greatest songwriters. Whether solo or with groups like Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies, The 6ths or Future Bible Heroes, Merritt has given us hundreds of great songs over the years with a Broadway sensibility, deadpan delivery and a droll sense of humor. He’s even released a soundtrack to the A Series Of Unfortunate Events books composed with none other than author Lemony Snicket. Future Bible Heroes, which has served as one of several outlets for Stephin Merritt’s prolific songwriting abilities, features Chris Ewen of Figures On The Beach (who co-writes all of the songs here...
Jake Bugg ‘Jake Bugg’
——————————————————————————————————————————————- Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Lightning Bolt” by Jake Bugg Things you need to know about Jake Bugg… He’s not a young Dylan. There was only one young Dylan and he’s not young anymore. He’s not a New Dylan. You can choose everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Elvis Costello to Beck to fill in the blank, none of them were new Dylans, and neither is Jake Bugg. Jake Bugg is, well, Jake Bugg. Although he was dubbed the “East Midlands Bob Dylan” early on, he’s not that guy either. Dylan was barely an influence – “Bob Dylan’s cool, you know, he’s great, but he’s not...
Animal Collective ‘Centipede Hz’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Today’s Supernatural” by Animal Collective – Psychedelia is alive and well and living in…Maryland? Well at least in Animal Collective’s case, it hails fromMaryland. In a musical world where little is truly ever new, Animal Collective consistently tap into the past to create a sound that’s wholly their own. Like a wigged out Yes or a Beach Boys on acid, the sound of Animal Collective is like nothing else you’ve ever heard. David Portner (aka Avey Tare), Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear), Josh Dibb (aka Deakin) and Brian Weitz (aka Geologist) were grade school friends who went away to different colleges, but would reconvene back in Maryland to make music...
Alexi Murdoch ‘Time Without Consequence’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#787 in the Series) is Alexi Murdoch, Time Without Consequence. Alexi Murdoch is a perfect example of the new paradigm music industry success story. He released a self produced EP Four Songs in 2002 on CDbaby.com, sold over 50,000 via download (CDbaby’s all time best seller) and started his own record label, Zero Summer. Time Without Consequence, released in 2006, is his first full album and includes three of the Four Songs from his start up EP. He’s been able to achieve international acclaim while turning down numerous offers from major record labels. Alexi’s voice is reminiscent of Nick Drake. He has the kind of control of his acoustic guitar that reminds me...
