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Posted on Saturday, January 7, 2006 by Joelle
LOCAL (Baltimore) >> Park Police Ranchero Rating: 8 (out of 10) Independent Release | 2005 Website When Pat Wescott sings “We’ve been waiting for you to finally come around” in the opening track of 2005’s Ranchero, he’s being, for once, very serious. Though this is Park Police’s first album, the band, which also includes bassist Eric Bloodsworth and drummer Bruno Anderson, has been together in various forms for well over a decade. This is the Baltimore-based group’s first attempt at a trio, which explains the opening lines of “Mission Song”: “Ten years and pocket change/ we’ve been trying to rearrange/ had a choice for another band/ so we could find us a place to stand.” It seems more like a place to slouch. Even after a decade of shuffling around, the three 30-somethings of Park Police still seem unconcerned with trying to make it big. They recorded at the Lil’ House, and their album is sold with Not Lame Recordings. As in “Mission Song,” their lyrics are often shrugs of self-deprecation; in “Tunnel,” Wescott confesses to “singing to static, but I’ve lost my place again.” Park Police even dubbed their debut after a defunct half-car, half-pickup truck – certainly not the most glamorous means of transportation. But there’s nothing more comfortable than cruising around in a beat-up pickup – even half of one – and Ranchero is just the CD to blast from the busted speakers. Not only are many individual tracks bona fide driving songs (especially and obviously “Next Gear”), but the album as a whole is a rollicking, we-don’t-slow-down-for-speed-bumps kind of affair. Like the car, the music is pleasantly worn in, friendly guitar rock with origins in The Who and Rolling Stones. The band also collects frequent comparisons to Joe Jackson’s early work, and the snappy “Nationwide” and rich harmonies and catchy chorus of “I Tried” might mix well with the likes of “Is She Really Going out with Him?” Ah, screw it – this album isn’t designed for serious discussions or analysis, so stop reading about it. Go get a jump-start, duct tape the brake lights back on and hit the road with Ranchero.
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Posted on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 by Chad
LOCAL >> Cobbler Stars Caught Fire Rating: 7 (out of 10) Independent Release | 2005 Website Stars Caught Fire, the new EP by Cobbler is the band‚Äôs latest effort after a slew of filled venues between DC and New York City. At seven tracks, stars caught fire plays a total of 29.5 minutes, and feels like a quick splash in a vast pool of mildly edgy, well produced, popular rock. This album is, without a question, aiming at mainstream audiences. Still enough, one can detect influences from The Bends and The White Album peeking their respective heads around the corner of a product which is packaged and produced in the style of straight-ahead bar rock. Often sentimental, with just a dash of 80‚Äôs influence, hints of stoner rock, and lyrics about the pain of failed relationships, Stars Caught Fire is filled to the core with a bar-friendly, eclectic sound. And it is clean‚Äîso clean in fact, there is hardly a rough edge on the album. Fans in need of a new outlet for alt radio material will enjoy Stars Caught Fire, but anyone searching for of something a little dirtier will wonder why Cobbler failed to take more risks. Still, the EP is upbeat and optimistic. The feeling which comes though each song is positive, if even tugging at the skirt of bittersweet. “Prove Me Wrong,” one of the stronger tracks on the album, has impressively tight, slippery guitar solos and a versatile back-beat which hints that Cobbler is not only attentive in the studio, but more than willing to crush a venue. Cobbler’s official CD release party is on January 13th, at TT Renyolds. Doors open at 9pm. The CD‚Äôs are $10.
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Posted on Monday, January 2, 2006 by Chad
LOCAL >> Gist Diesel City Rating: 7 (out of 10) Red Stapler Records | 2005 Website With the styling of their self made production company, Red Stapler Records, the Washington DC based indie group Gist has released their second album: Diesel City. They drop this record after three years of songwriting to ensure Diesel City is a creature with sharpened hooks, and rarely the backward glances which their first album, Art is Now Human (2002), seemed to have. Art is Now Human was an interesting album, with creative but sometimes constrained songwriting, though it had solid guitar feel and something for lovers of experimental projects and math rock. What should also be said about the album is that it was a bit tepid, it gorged on influences during songs like “Observationalist,” which had a completely sophomoric feel and very little, if any direction. Diesel City is a leaner, more angular creature than Gist’s earlier material, with the curious ability to shift velocity on a dime. Songs break stride, they fade left, and come back to the original direction with notable momentum. The layering has a nice feel to it, the rhythms are texturous, and when the beat is straight ahead, it is aggressive. After eleven years of gigging, recording, and changing lineups, Gist offers up a solid record in Diesel City. For the past three years, the power-trio of Nayal Bhula (vocals, guitar), Timothy Burton (drums), and Finley Martin (bass) have been diligent learning not what to add, but what to take away. Martin has played with Gist since 2000, while Bhula and Burton have toured and recorded for over a decade. Red Stapler Records, their own production company which also works with acts like Morris and The Chance, has done a thing or two for their skill at arranging a full length recording. And the experience speaks for itself. Though while Gist might hope their record is a kick in the teeth sort of wake up call to modern rock, it really isn’t. Diesel City is a good album, a big step in the right direction for a band which has proved itself time and again on stages in Washington DC and the greater portion of the east coast.
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Posted on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 by Joelle
Live Review >>  photo courtesy and ¬© Depeche ModeIf the 1990s had a god, it was Depeche Mode, and if that god had a kingdom, it would resemble Depeche Mode‚Äôs stage at the Patriot Center on December 9. The look might have been described as ‚Äúinterplanetary punk.‚Äù A moon-sized orb hung in midair, inset with scrolling computer screens and neon inscriptions of words like ‚Äúsex,‚Äù ‚Äúpain‚Äù and ‚Äúlove.‚Äù The trademark synthesizers were enthroned in semicircular silver pods. The backdrop was a massive black curtain featuring the feathered silhouette displayed on the band‚Äôs aptly named 2005 release, ‚ÄúPlaying the Angel.‚Äù First impressions of the crowd didn‚Äôt mesh with this otherworldly atmosphere. Unlike the hordes that gathered to worship Depeche Mode a decade or two ago, this congregation looked, well, normal. There was not a single eye-lined, dour teenage misfit in sight ‚Äì just thousands of amiable 30-somethings. They wore pashminas and leather coats, or else sat uncomfortably in business casual, not having had a chance to change out of corporate wear before gathering to recant their alternative heydays. This observer wondered whether the devout Depechians had lost their faith. But then everything went black, and then glowed neon blue, then red. The globe‚Äôs screen scrolled a digital ‚ÄúHELLO‚Äù ‚Äì and the demure crowd was on its feet to give their idols a proper welcome. They remained upright for the 21-song, two-hour show. (more…)
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Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 by Ryan Kailath
INSTANT REPLAY: overlooked moments in music history — by Ryan Kailath Big Star #1 Record/Radio City Fantasy | 1972, 1974, 1992 In 1967, a journalist asked Pete Townshend what kind of music his band played. ‚ÄúPower pop is what we play,‚Äù he responded, coining a term that is as widely misunderstood today as it is used. Big Star keeps true tradition with the genre‚Äôs confused legacy, as an impossibly influential band eclipsed by its own imitators. Big Star has oft been called ‚Äúthe most famous obscure band in the world.‚Äù Formed in Memphis in 1971 and comprised of Chris Bell, Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens, the band recorded three albums in three years before breaking up. This CD combines the band‚Äôs first and best two records onto one disc. Bell, Hummel and Stephens had been playing Led Zeppelin covers in the back room of Bell‚Äôs house for close to a year when Alex Chilton, a teen star who sang The Box Tops‚Äô #1 hit ‚ÄúThe Letter,‚Äù returned to Memphis and was invited to join the band. Influenced heavily by the sounds and styles of the British Invasion, Bell & Chilton decided to share songwriting credits for #1 Record, à la Lennon/McCartney. One listen through the record shows this was not the case. Bell‚Äôs darker, edgier contributions (‚ÄúFeel,‚Äù ‚ÄúTry Again‚Äù) stand clearly distinct from Chilton‚Äôs pop-inspired melodies and world-weary lyrics on songs like ‚ÄúWatch the Sunrise.‚Äù The songwriting duo‚Äôs love of The Beatles may not have been evident in their creative method, but they certainly shared Lennon and McCartney‚Äôs famous tension. Bell, clearly the team leader of the first Big Star record, left the band after the album failed miserably in both sales and charts, though it was critically acclaimed across the music press. Big Star disbanded upon Bell‚Äôs departure, but reunited a year later after playing a successful reunion show for a music journalism convention in 1973. Now a trio, the band recorded their second album, 1974‚Äôs Radio City, with Chilton at the controls. This second record, marked by it‚Äôs pop sensibility and stripped-down production, is generally hailed as the band‚Äôs masterpiece. Many songs off Radio City are thought to be originally penned by Bell, though Chilton is vague on the subject. Chris Bell, who never fully recovered from the crippling failure of #1 Record, died tragically in a car crash in 1978, his promise unfulfilled. Bell‚Äôs solo project, I Am The Cosmos, was finished and released in the 90s by his older brother David. Big Star‚Äôs artistry and influence, though unrecognized during the band‚Äôs time, has proved indisputable in today‚Äôs music scene. R.E.M., The Replacements, The Posies and others all cite Big Star as one of their primary influences. In a recent poll conducted by Magnet Magazine, eighteen artists including Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney), Davey von Bohlen (The Promise Ring), John Davis (Superdrag), and Phil Elvrum (The Microphones) named Big Star tracks as their favorite power-pop songs of all time. If this record is not in your collection, it should be now.
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Posted on Sunday, December 11, 2005 by Sarah Grace McCandless
Live Review >>  Pretty Girls Make Graves When Pretty Girls Make Graves take stage, don���t expect some complicated light show or a shower of pyrotechnics. In fact, the band members will more than likely be wandering around pre-show, taking turns conducting their own sound check and set-up. They remain completely accessible, despite the fact that Pretty Girls Make Graves have the makings of band most likely to take over the world. After a handful of Fall dates opening for Franz Ferdinand, PGMG rounded out the year with several headlining appearances, providing a sneak peek for their forthcoming 2006 release from Matador Records (produced by Colin Stewart, whose most recent credits include Black Mountain). Originally formed in Seattle in 2001, PGMG is a hybrid of talent from bands including Death Wish Kids, Murder City Devils, and Kill Sadie. Fronted by Andrea Zollo, the crisp, aggressive, and haunting sound of PGMG is also brought to life by guitarist Jay Clark, drummer Nick Dewitt, and bassist Derek Fudesco. The new kid of the PGMG block is keyboardist Leona Marrs from Hint Hint, a wise addition who also provides the perfect backing vocal ying to Zollo���s yang. Their December 8th appearance at the Black Cat opened with the hypnotic-turned-explosive ���Something Bigger, Something Brighter��� from their most recent release, the brilliant, critically-revered The New Romance. The evening continued with a welcomed audio assault of other PGMG favorites, all fueled by the urgency conveyed in Zollo���s voice ��� be it the slowly building crescendo of ���Blue Lights��� or the aching ���A Certain Cemetery.��� If the band had any concerns about reactions to the new material, they need not worry ��� the crowd jumped right on board as PGMG blazed through a sampling of glittery gems sure to keep fans buzzing until the official release. The encore culminated with the epic, manic anthem, ���This Is Our Emergency,��� and by the time PGMG took their official, for real-real final bow, their ability to fill even the most intimate venues with kinetic energy could not be denied. P.S. To the two girls in the back dancing all Molly-Ringwald-Breakfast-Club-ish: Fan enthusiasm is great, but ladies ��� didja��� have a few cocktails before the show? Uh-huh. That���s what I thought.
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Posted on Tuesday, December 6, 2005 by Ryan Kailath
INSTANT REPLAY: overlooked moments in music history — by Ryan Kailath The Cocteau Twins Treasure 4AD Records | 1984 Fans have said that after they first heard The Cocteau Twins, other music sounded pale and pointless in comparison, like shadows on the wall of Plato‚Äôs cave. Plato‚Äôs allegory was concerned with waking from life‚Äôs slumber to find reality. This Scottish trio, comprised of Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde, has always been content to live in dreams. Their ethereal melodies set them apart from any artists then or now. It‚Äôs not that they have no competitors, but that they have no comparison. Their sound is truly unique. The Cocteaux were signed early on to 4AD. Label founder Ivo Watts-Russell said that his aim was to unearth music that was timeless, free of any trend, movement or era. He lived up to this claim by housing some of the most avant-garde artists of the last 25 years, including Bauhaus, The Pixies and Mojave 3. After a handful of EPs and full-lengths, heavily promoted by the late BBC mogul John Peel, the Twins changed bassists and recorded 1984‚Äôs Treasure. The addition of Raymonde marked a departure from their heavier bass-driven sound, and Treasure was instantly recognized as a radical new chapter in the band‚Äôs unfolding story. The gossamer textures of delayed guitars and drum-machine are now apparent as obvious precursors of the dream-pop sound that was to come out of the UK years later with bands like Slowdive and Galaxie 500. Rather than playing at the listener, the music invites you to come inside and explore its stream of conscious. The Cocteau Twins are to music what David Lynch is to film: never a consistent critic‚Äôs favorite, but always inventive and instantly recognizable spinners of surrealist dreams.
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Posted on Tuesday, December 6, 2005 by Joelle
Live Review >>  Rogue Wave Zach Rogue is auditioning for the role of leading man in the indie rock world. Being from California—Oakland, to be exact—he should know that he needs to look the part. But Rogue‚Äôs version of sensitive singer/songwriter for his band Rogue Wave would be better cast on MTV‚Äôs ‚ÄúJackass‚Äù than an MTV2 music video. He‚Äôs got muscles, an earring, slicked back blonde hair ‚Äì and, much unlike the emaciated, gloomy addicts that typically typify his position, a sense of humor and a smile. First impressions when Rogue happily hopped onto the Black Cat stage on December 3rd: No way could this guy produce the emotional, melodic gems that have critics comparing Rogue Wave to Elliott Smith and Death Cab for Cutie. But then again, the band‚Äôs two Sub Pop releases in two years—Out of the Shadow in ‚Äô04 and Descended like Vultures this October—have won plenty of placements on indie sites‚Äô ‚ÄúNot To Be Missed‚Äù lists. They‚Äôve had a song chosen as iTunes‚Äô free song of the week, and even earned one of Pitchfork Media‚Äôs endangered good reviews. (more…)
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