Album Review: Coriky - Coriky

Coriky

S/T

***and1/2 out of *****

The first album from Coriky finds the husband and wife team of guitarist Ian MacKaye and Amy drummer Farina teaming up with MacKaye's Fugazi bandmate Joe Lally on bass. The result is a strong self titled debut that has flashes of MacKaye's punk past and lots of Fugazi's angular noise grooves with a more mellowed vibe.

"Clean Kill" the trio's opener and "Too Many Husbands" have both been released for sometime now and the tracks are on the more aggressive side of things with revving guitars and tempos shifts coming in at odd times. Along with songs like "Hard To Explain" they sum up where this collective are with their lives, the tone is menacing and tightly wound, but the tracks end where in the past they would have exploded.  

"Have A Cup Of Tea" could be the trios theme song as Lalley's bass line thumps ominously while digital squeaks and a light marching drum move the sounds along as MacKaye sings about still making malotov's in a restrained voice as harmonies with Farina sound sweet as a tale of aged out/stagnate rebels sit down and have the title beverage.

"BQM" displays brief punk aggression as it riffs around with accelerated pace, while Lalley's strong work directs the snake like "Last thing". The chugging "Jack Says" spiffs up a "Louie Louie" groove around Farina's strong vocals before a low key Sonic Youth vibe flows through the Trump take down "Inauguration Day" and album closer "Woulda Coulda" stretches out with blissful ease.  Throughout the debut the three participants work incredibly well with each other musically and full band harmonizing adds a new layer to the sound.

More than simply the same style trio (a husband/wife, guitarist/drummer friendly bass player), Yo La Tengo came to mind often as Coriky's songs have an edge to them, but could also be listened to on Sunday morning as they never truly overwhelm with aggression. Who knows if Coriky is a one off outing or will evolve into a lasting Yo La Tengo like project, but whichever way they evolve, their beginnings are strong.
_______________________________________
Support the artist, buy the album, stream it on bandcamp or below and peep some video:

New Warpaint Album Heads Up Coming Soon, New Single Here.

We here at RtBE have always appreciated the art-rock LA based Warpaint so we are excited to hear that their newest album, Heads Up will be out September 23rd via Rough Trade Records.

They released the first single from the album titled, creatively enough,"New Song". You can hear it and the see the full listing of their album and upcoming tour below.

They certainly have upped the dance-ibilty and electro sound and toned down the art rock/noise at least on "New Song". We will see how the rest of the disk is in late September.

Tracklist
01 Whiteout
02 By Your Side
03 New Song
04 The Stall
05 So Good
06 Don’t Wanna
07 Don’t Let Go
08 Dre
09 Heads Up
10 Above Control
11 Today Dear

—Warpaint — 2016 Tour Dates
Aug 18 Pukkelpop Kiewit Hasselt, Belgium
Aug 19 Lowlands Festival Biddinghuizen, Netherlands
Aug 21 Green Man Festival Abergavenny, United Kingdom
Aug 23 The National Concert Hall Dublin, Ireland
Sep 19 The Showbox Seattle, WA
Sep 20 Imperial Vancouver Vancouver, Canada
Sep 21 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
Sep 23 Symbiosis Gathering Oakdale, CA
Sep 24 Music Tastes Good Long Beach, CA
Sep 25 Life Is Beautiful Las Vegas, NV
Sep 27 Gothic Theater Englewood, CO
Sep 29 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
Sep 30 Thalia Hall Chicago, IL
Oct 01 St. Andrews Hall Detroit, MI
Oct 03 Danforth Music Hall Toronto, Canada
Oct 04 9:30 Club Washington, DC
Oct 06 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
Oct 07 Warsaw Brooklyn, NY
Oct 08 The Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Oct 09 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA
Oct 12 The Filmore San Francisco, CA
Oct 13 The Fonda Theater Hollywood, CA
Oct 22 Simple Things Festival – Bristol, United Kingdom
Oct 23 Queens Hall Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Oct 24 Albert Hall Manchester, United Kingdom
Oct 26 The Dome Liverpool, United Kingdom
Oct 27 Roundhouse London, United Kingdom
Oct 29 Pitchfork Music Festival Paris, France
Oct 30 Live Musik Hall Cologne, Germany
Nov 01 Astra Berlin, Germany
Nov 02 Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 04 Iceland Airwaves Festival Reykjavik, Iceland

Album Review: Wilco- Star Wars

Wilco

Star Wars

**** out of *****

Offering up a free, unannounced until released, album from his popular band was just the sort of "bolt of joy" that main Wilco man Jeff Tweedy was hoping for and (perhaps surprisingly) Star Wars contains the most interesting music Wilco has released in a very long time.  

"EKG" begins things and lets you know the band is mixing it up this go around as the short noise instrumental gives way to "More...". Along with "Joke Explained", "More..." brings the most pop sensibility into these song structures, but musically there are still lots of variations with swirling key layers and guitar lines that color the prettier tunes. Because of this Tweedy's lyrics  are buried more then in the past, and lyrics are certainly not the focal point of this offering which could be a shock for longtime fans.

The band does a lot of sonic experimentation with noise (the album was expertly produced by Tweedy and Tom Schick) and while they have always tempered with it in the past, clearly the focus here is on weirdness. Free albums can often feel tossed off, but this one feels crafted with sounds in the way few pop bands outside of Spoon have done recently. Also helping out is the albums pace, songs are short, and there aren't many of them as these angular offerings never stick past their expiration date.

"Random Name Generator" uses a metallic production matched with the repeated title as a hook all based around fuzzy guitars, while album centerpiece "You Satellite" builds and rises thanks to some fantastic drumming before spacing out with guitars and satisfyingly dissolving into space. "Taste the Ceiling" swirls easily while "Pickled Ginger" picks up the energy but doesn't really do much with it.

The end of the album turns out to be the most interesting and successful as Tweedy alone with acoustic guitar poses the question "Where Do I Begin" before a tape/loop/freakout wraps up the track schizophrenically. The next two tracks are really one song split by title and track-listing only venturing into the glam late 70's pop world.

This medley is called "Cold Slope" and "King of You" sharing an electronic aloofness all centered around a cold/detached groove (first dominated by bass, then guitar) that captures the ear. Putting it on the same side as the warbling, open-ended love song closer "Magnetized" favorably brings to mind mid-era David Bowie, a comparison most Wilco fans would have probably never made before this album.    

While the tile and cover art are odd and hokey respectively, when combined with the music, the total package makes for an lightheartedly charming release that endearingly satisfies and one that will certainly hold up better over the years then many of the bands more "formal" releases.
__________________________________________________________________
Support Wilco here, download the album for free here, peep some video below:

Album Review: Neil Young- Storytone

Neil Young

Storytone

*and1/2 out of *****

Neil Young had a dream to record with a huge orchestra (92 piece in this) backing him in the same room on some very personal songs. Young is as much of an audiophile as you will find in rock and roll and he will be happy with the sonic quality of the huge swells, but as a creative artist, he may look back with some regret as the songs rarely work with the instrumentation. Then again knowing what little we do of Young, it is doubtful he regrets anything, artistically. 

The pairing is an odd one from the beginning as after the delicate love tune of "Plastic Flowers" comes "Who's Gonna Stand Up?". This is a clear a protest/call to arms song regarding pollution and saving the earth; it is one of the clearest, direct songs Young's ever written and sounds completely out of place with the mellow dramatic flutes, strings and rising chorus that get matched with it. The rising climax is sure cinematic, even with a little tag on the end, but this is just the wrong song for this musical score.

"Glimmer" is one of the few tracks that lends itself to this overblown work but it is more the exception then the rule. It is not only the odd sonic pairings, the flippant nature of the tracks and Neil's performances themselves should be addressed. Young has notoriously recorded without giving two shits about what anyone has thought, but some of these offerings are barely songs. "I Want To Drive My Car" is sung so disengaged it sounds like Young is just making a statement and not really one that should escape his lips. I am also sure Neil gets the blues but he doesn't sound like it or any kind of blues man for that matter on "Say Hello Chicago", he just sounds detached, but the backing band is pretty killer on that one.      

The flip-side to all of this is the solo versions of these tunes that Young includes on the "Deluxe" release of Storytone. Not sure if this is a marketing statement or an artistic one but either way it rescues a few of these tracks. All of a sudden "Who's Gonna Stand Up?" isn't so mismatched and "Tumbleweed" loses it's chimes and Disney-fication to end up the easy beach strumming ukelele number it was always meant to be.

"When I Watch You Sleeping" with just a harmonica and 6 string becomes poignant and had the solo disk been the focus we could laugh off the pomp, but the real, non deluxe release, is the orchestra filled misstep so we need to judge things as they are presented. Less is more on Storytone as the orchestral disk might be worth a curious listen but if you ever go back to any of these tracks it will be the acoustic ones. Hopefully Neil just jumps in his beloved car and moves on to his next all consuming project leaving Storytone behind.  
____________________________________________________________________
Uncle Neil is one of our favorites, but he is also an artist we expect nothing from these days, hence this didn't end up on our let down list in 2015. We will not return to this at all.

Support the artist here, buy the album here and peep some video here:

Album Review: Candi Staton- Life Happens

Candi Staton

Life Happens

***and1/2 out of *****

Not everyone gets out of volatile relationships so it is with great joy Candi Staton came out of her "hell on earth" marriage to former MLB player Otis Nixon not only in one piece, but creatively inspired enough to release her come back album Life Happens. 

There is a sense of joy that is tempered by a clear feeling of relief on the 14 tracks on the disk. The blues and soul are also present as Life Happens marks the triumphant return pairing of Staton and Muscle Shoals legend Rick Hall. That classic Muscle Shoals sound is flowing through the disks opening and clearly best track here "I Ain't Easy To Love".

Singing with Jason Isbell and John Paul White, Staton tackles a tune written by Angela Hacker and James Leblanc, performing with that classic slippery soul backing instrumentation. The end result is a dynamic offering that changes singers POV's over a grooving beat and easy organ. Staton's voice is passionate and when paired with the fellas accentuated even more distinctly for her powerful blues and soul; a real show stopper tune.

Her relationship with Nixon gets a direct account on almost all of the tunes including "Beware She's After Your Man" as Staton offers some sage advice for future relationships over a funky bass line. "Treat Me Like A Secret" and "My Hearts On Empty" both keeping the funky soul moving as Staton gets her pipes blaring showing off her vocal and lyrical chops having written both of these successful tracks.  

Things aren't perfect, the production at times can become too easy listening such as the background on "Where Were You When You Knew" and "Commitment" sounds closer to that 80's cheese sound then it should; a more traditional gospel instrumentation would better suit the subject matter.

Staton sounds invigorated and matches perfectly with her players like on "Close To You" and the mix of funk/soul/disco on "Three Minutes To A Relapse" which is a powerful testament. The resilience of Staton is inspiring and a track like "Even The Bad Times Are Good" is a great number that matches that 70's Muscle Shoals with Staton's vocals effortlessly, hopefully her personal life stays as positive and powerful as Life Happens.    
_________________________________________________________________
Great disk. Support the artist here, buy the album here and peep some video below:

Album Review: Richard Haswell- From The Fleet To The Medlock

Richard Haswell

From The Fleet To The Medlock - A Collection (1997-2014)

*** out of *****

The Scottish singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Richard Haswell has put together a collection of his work spanning 17 years on From The Fleet To The Medlock. It is to act as a beginners guide to the artists collection as he currently has a daunting 22 records out there. Using the internet as a guide Haswell picked from a variety of songs based on downloads, streams, critical acclaim and personal preferences.

All that stated it may not be best suited as an intro to the artist as there is a lot to digest here in form of actual songs (17), running time (77+ minutes), and musical styles. Haswell isn't hasn't been afraid to experiement that is obvious as things as varied as textured spacey instrumentals ("Tird Lanark") cozy up next to disco fueled bouncers ("The Undreamed Of") nudging past acoustic moments ("Magnetic North").

To point out some highlights, "Circus Clown" has a nice production for a basic singer songwriter tune, elevating it above some others here. The pulsing/acoustic pairing on "Arise" feels like a lost Pink Floyd number that is exciting as is the Eels sounding "Perfect Parallel" which uses expert wordplay. Things can get over-dramatic on tracks like "Brick By Brick" and "Solid Ground", both would probably improve with a less-is-more production approach.

"Cause And Effect" is the highpoint of the collection with it's winning vocals, uplifting musicality and buzzsaw sounding solo to close things, this song shows Haswell's talent and From The Fleet To The Medlock gives you access to explore even more of his world. 
___________________________________________________________________
You can support the artist here, grab/stream the album directly from bandcamp here, and peep some video below:
 

Album Review: The String Cheese Incident- Song In My Head

The String Cheese Incident

Song In My Head

**and1/2 out of *****

The String Cheese Incident's first studio album in 9 years, Song In My Head, finds the band familiarly hitting the jamband notes over a spectrum of musical influences.  The title track plays like a rolling Grateful Dead shuffle with many parts lending themselves to musical exploration but the album also puts a high premium on the noodle dancing masses.

There is a light funky groove found on a bunch of these tracks. "Betray The Dark" implores with a rumba feel and drum breakdown while "Let's Go Outside" continues the thread via some rapping inspired nonsense spiritual/poetry lyrics. "Rosie" just wants to get down over the increasing beat and disk closer "Colliding" tries to soar above the clouds but struggles to truly get airborne.  

One of the better tracks is the balladesque "Struggling Angel" which is accentuated by nice piano work and a harmonica. Tracks like the reggae fueled "Stay True" and the Caribbean Jimmy Buffet flavored "Can't Wait Another Day" will surely be easy breezy favorites in the live setting and that is where this band lives.

So it begs the question why this album now. The band was clearly excited to record the live staples and use the studio for new purposes. When it comes to that though perhaps less would be more, a perfect example being the opening "Colorado Bluebird Sky".

The song plays as a classically great bluegrass tune for the first two minutes before an electric guitar provides an awkward transition into a jammed out ending. Perhaps crafting just a simple, tight, effecting bluegrass classic for the studio album and saving the jamming for live shows would have been a better balance. Either way the band will be out on the festival circuit this summer doing what they do best in 2014 and beyond.       
______________________________________________________________________
Not really our bag, but not remotely bad either. After some dark disks last week SCI certainly bring the positivity man!

Support the artist here, buy the album here, peep some video below:

Looks like they did cut down the jamming for the studio version...

A Re-Release No One Asked For

Thanks to our uncles over @glidemag we found out that Pink Floyd are re-releasing The Division Bell. Question is, who cares?

We have been thinking a lot about the record industry over the last few years and this is clearly a money grab of the highest order. Who, outside of diehard fans, thought the Division Bell was a remotely good album? People are disappointed and rightfully so. We are not massive Floyd fans, but we do like some of their stuff, notably Wish You Were Here and The Dark Side Of The Moon. Even back in '94 this smelled like a bloated lazy half assed effort...to re-release it just seems empty and hopeless.

During a time when the industry has no idea what to do, this seems safe. Take a classic rock name, add some tracks, snazzy packaging and presto, fans who are "craving real rock" will buy it...and I am sure there will be some revisionists who claim it is great, a forgotten gem. It's not.

Those people should get online and check out different bands, prog-rock is alive and well and all you need is to click here and find an array of groups playing it on bandcamp. You can save a bunch of money, support new fresh acts and let the industry know recycling crap is for fertilizer not record players. Below are two streaming prog album we found on Bandcamp, it took us all of 2 seconds.    They are a Polish group, Iceberg Soul who are also affiliated with Jar of Hope, Apple Peel in this genre.

Check out new acts, don't reward lazy millionaires.     

Album Review: The War On Drugs- Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

Lost In The Dream

***and1/2 out of *****

The usage of the word "the" comes up right at the beginning when digesting the newest album from  The War On Drugs. Lost In The Dream is the the title as opposed to "a" dream, there is a communal sense of oneness inherent in that switch. Instead of inward looking loner tunes this album spaciously feels all connected  via dreamy pop and nods to radio influences of past days to accomplish that.  

That word pops back up forecasting the same thing in the opening "Under The Pressure" as if we are all experiencing that same push down. Drifting and escapist but grounded in a hook that reminds of a digitally aged Dire Straits track. Echos and drama color "Red Eyes" in shades of Arcade Fire but the group fronted by Adam Granduciel seems to be looking back to the neon inspired decade for more inspiration then anything happening today.

The pumping of "An Ocean Between The Waves" was made for early 80's rock radio in the vein of really hip Bruce Hornsby cut. It goes and goes for 7+ minutes on the back of keys and rising vocals/guitar lines. Maybe not as successful with it's 80's love is "Disappearing" which recalls When In Rome's "The Promise" only with spacier guitars. The dream pop combo in general though seems warmer then other releases of this genre.  

"Suffering" mellows things out with lyrics about "both of us faking it" while "I am here suffering" behind swirls and piano lines; a gorgeous downer.Vocally Granduciel stays mostly behind the music except on the title track which places his singing at the forefront putting his confusion and Hornsby tendencies on display plainly. 

"Eyes To The Wind" starts a linking of songs by a Jackson Brown like strum some acoustic guitars over a positive progression that swells to include an easy saxophone. All that melts into a warbling interlude titled "The Haunting Idle" which "The Burning" pulses out of. The last in this series never reaches the heights it strives for but is a fun ride anyway.

The songs are long here but there is palpable sense of pop work infused in them. While never overly joyous the group has layered this record for the listening on a larger scale; Lost In The Dream with everyone.  
_____________________________________________________________________
Interesting disk, we never got into the groups first release Wagonwheel Blues, but a friend just recommended we go back to give Slave Ambient a shot. This new one popped up first and the group has obviously improved, this is cool stuff.

Support the Band here, buy the album here and peep some video below:
)

Album Review: aivi & surasshu- The Black Box

aivi & surasshu

The Black Box

**and1/2 out of *****

It is a fun description on the groups bandcamp page that states: "Aivi is a human pianist. Surasshu is a chiptune robot. These are their musical adventures together!" Truth in advertising.

All instrumentals this combination of classical piano with digital lo-fi sounding bleeps and accoutrements makes for some fun times, like getting sucked back in with the dust to your original Nintendo Entertainment System. One can just see 8 bit characters getting down to the sounds.

Piano builds open things on the climbing "Nucleus" while Yoshihito Yano gets the cover treatment with aivi's take on his "Lonely Rolling Star (Missing You)" from the Katamari Damancy video game. Zelda: Link's Awakening also gets some love with a cover of "Mabe Village". Tracks like "Diamond Dove" however prove aivi belongs in the big leagues of video game soundtrack production with the rollicking rolls of piano and dusty digital fills.

Overall things do get repetitive towards the end and a track like "Here's How!" doesn't work with it's barroom funky stance on things but on the flip-side "Pocket Universe" addresses the world with wide eyed wonder. The album also comes equipped with a 20 page comic and as visuals are obviously part of the overall experience things combine nicely. The Black Box strikes as creative, experimental, and outside the "norm", taking qualities and talents of past jazz greats and putting them in today digital universe.  
__________________________________________________________________
Another new twist on the Jazz genre for Jazzy January. A cool listen, while we won't pretend we are experts on this genre things like this make us love finding new artists.

Support the artist here, grab the album here peep some video below:

Album Review: The Lucky Chops Brass Band- Lucky Chops Vol 1

The Lucky Chops Brass Band

Lucky Chops Vol 1

***1/2 out of *****

Brass Bands are one of the most consistently exciting live acts one can see but tend to become a bit dull when entering the studio, thank god The Lucky Chops Brass Band is here to kick things up with Lucky Chops Vol 1 if only for about 15 joyous minutes. The 5 Piece NYC based brass blowers mix up a range of styles to create an output that has traditional roots yet sounds awfully god damn fresh in today's fleeting music market. 

The opening "Sk-Ba" covers The Skatalites track blowing with energy propagating a "get up and dance" swag. "Longa" takes its name from Eastern styled music and that is clearly the vibe going on here, great clashing rhythms and horn runs add a spice to the sound.

The traditional "Bourbon St. Parade" acknowledges the groups spiritual center but creatively jams out over funky drum beats and sousaphone toots before solos start jamming up to a full out rave, ending things gloriously. This kind of improv/traditional combo keeps Lucky Chops sounding vital.

They give that same flash and substance to "This Little Light Of Mine" closing the all too short EP with a flourish fading out just when the dancing seems to be getting started.With a formula this rich we can only hope Vol 2 is on its way soon as more of this brassy goodness is needed.
___________________________________________________________________
We had the privilege of seeing this band up close and personal at a wedding we attended and were amazed. They had it all and this EP proves it, if only a sampler of their styles it is still a great edition to Jazzy January here at RtBE.

Buy it/Stream here, support the band here, peep some video below and def catch them live when you can.

Album Review: Talib Kweli -Gravitas

Talib Kweli

Gravitas

***and1/2 out of *****

2 albums in 2 years from Talib Kweli as he follows up Prisoner of Consciousness with Gravitas. On Prisoner... Kweli seemed to be rebelling against fans/media labeling him a "conscious rapper" on Gravitas he is back in his normal mode and seems even more invigorated coming at the listener with a ton of things to say piling verses on top of verses.

On "Rare Portraits" Kweli goes back through his history and the history in general of hip-hop ending on a powerful note: "From making the way for Kanye/to meetings with Mr. Harry Belafonte/All started on park benches with Dante" recalling Kweli's Black Star partner Dante Terrel Smith better known as Mos Def and their vital roll in the genre. "Inner Monologue" also has the feel of a successful elder statement assessing the scene and not exactly excited about with lines like: "Niggas don't get rich rapping, they selling clothes or liquor/My flow is sicker cause I flow with vigor/I'm no beginner, peep the whole agenda/Control my center cause I gravitate with Gravitas".

The disk starts off great with some thick musical tracks, there are layers of beats, instruments and sounds highlighted by Gary Clark Jr.'s guitar licks in "Demonology". As the disk progresses though Kweli moves to more new school beats like on the conspiracy theory shattering "The Wormhole" and musically things aren't as successful. The pairing of his elongated word flow and digital thin beats doesn't match well, same goes for the sped up tempo of "New Leaders" where Kweli has a lot to say but the dance beat jars up against his phrasing.

Guest selection on the disk is quality all around, adding a spice to the disk as Black Thought's opening verse on "Art Imitates" is a winner and Raekwon drops serious heat on disk highlight "Violations". 

A track like "State Of Grace" with hook from Abby Dobson is right in Kweli's wheelhouse, and a perfect summation of the album. Talib dissects the lack of female role models painting an amazing scene talking about a mother who "grew up loving hip hop/Now all her daughter got is "Love & Hip Hop"" ripping reality shows as easily as he rips absentee fathers. The track goes on for close to 6 minutes and this is what fans of Kweli love and others find tedious, he won't ever escape "conscious rapper" label but by continuing to put out albums like this why would he want to?            
_____________________________________________________________________
Back in the day we never really got into Black Star, a bit to stiff and heady hip-hop for us at the time but have appreciated things Kweli and Mos Def have done since. This is pretty solid, especially the first 5 tracks all worth checking out. 

Support the artist here, buy the album here, peep some video below:

Year In Review 2013 - Best Album Art

We kick off our Year in Review section of 2013 with a new feature in the Best of... area.  Like in years past we will be choosing our Best Albums of the Year, a few we were underwhelmed with and our favorite show. Today we are starting out by judging books (records) by their covers (vinyl sleeves, jackets, digital pics, etc). We are going to support the creative minds behind the Best Album Art Work of 2013

The biggest gripe RtBE has with digital music is not the quality (that has been massively improved the last few years) nor the disposal nature of it (still a problem, but whatever), it is the lack of amazing album covers and art work.  Sure there may be great artists out there but seeing it on a screen, in iTunes or elsewhere is nothing compared to holding an LP cover or even a CD booklet with pages of lyrics, pictures etc. The hours we spent staring at covers while listening to music can not be adequately recorded, it added new dimensions to the sounds...Anyways...   

That said there were a few covers/full on art that really jumped out at us this year, click that read more button to find out which one's we liked best in 2013

Album Review: The Record Company -Feels So Good

The Record Company

Feels So Good

*** out of *****

Rollicking bluesy rock flows out of The Record Company on their Feels So Good EP, the second release for the band. A deep blues feel mixes with a polished vibe as the LA trio beats out voodoo in confident fashion. 

Chris Vos (Vocals/Guitar), Alex Stiff (Bass/Vocals) and Marc Cazorla (Drums/Vocals) hit all the classic blues touchstones (lonely dogs, dusty rave ups and hard days) but with the production there is a sheen in places where extra grime may tend to normally reside. This has helped the band get their tunes in various shows and movies helping expand crossover appeal much in the vein of Robert Randolph or Gary Clark Jr (but without the soloing).     

"Feels So Good" Starts thing and works with powerful strides, while "Roll the Bones" bumps the low-end. "Baby, I'm Broken" turns up the distortion and harmonica adding a fuzzy tone to things while "Hard Day Coming Down" burns with an impressive acoustic guitar and hand claps. "Darlin' Jane" ends the EP on "Willie and The Hand Jive" tip as the band puts together gang choruses and funky bass line.

The band has a style that reminds of UK's The Heavy, but with a greater roots feeling, just don't be surprised if the opener "Feels So Good" is everywhere much like "How You Like Me Know?" by this time next year. The title track alone is worth a listen but this band seems to be cooking all over with Feels So Good, get in on the action.  
_________________________________________________________________
Pretty solid blues rawk here. Focused more on the songs then anything else, they are solid if not re-writing the blues, but then again no one needs to do that.

Support the Band Here and Peep some Video below:
"Feels So Good"
 

Sharon Jones Recovering, New Album in Early 2014

Thanks to our Daddies over at Glide, we were able to find out the good news that Sharon Jones is doing better after being diagnosed with Cancer right when her newest album was supposed to be released. The bands Give The People What They Want will be now out Jan 14th.

No it is not a Kinks cover album, but rather a tasty bit of retro soul that Jones and her Dap-Kings help put back on the map. We talked about the first single when we thought the album would be out this summer, and we still dig it now looking forward to the disk and very glad Jones is doing better health wise. We hope to catch them in February, though the Beacon would not have been our first choice, who needs seats when you got the soulful funky stuff?

Here is the official video for "Retreat" with damn cool animation:

Album Review: I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House -Mayberry

I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House

Mayberry

**and1/2 out of *****

There name may be a mouthful (and taken from Jack Dempsey's famous quote of "I can't sing and I can't dance, but I can lick any SOB in the house.") but their music is easier to digest, radio friendly southern rock with splashes of punk. Front man Michael Dean Damron leads a twin guitar attack that talks about everything from rock and roll road weary warriors ("Break All Your Strings") to the love of a pooch ("I Give Up (The Puppy Song)").

The title track is a great mix of styles, while "When The Sleep Don't Come" shows off a softer ballad side with full on backing vocals. "Liars" is the punkiest the group gets equating the singer to Judas, a nice lyrical touch.  Damron's lyrics are the clear focal point as his semi choked voice gets them out earnestly.  

"It Don't Get Much Better Than This" is total glam rock cheese which can be fun while "My Guitar" is an ode to six slingers and the sweet love of the axe. The harp playing of David Lipkind adds a deeper element to the tracks warbling behind the proceedings or leading the charge. 

There is no doubt that Damron and crew pattern themselves after straight ahead rockers of years past but there is a distinct connection to Patterson Hood and the Drive-by Truckers evident from the get go. The difference may be the Northwest locale of I.C.L.A.SOB.I.T.H who hail from Portland, but the vibe just comes off more polished and reserved then southern fried and sun bleached.
______________________________________________________________________
Support the band here, grab the album here, see them live here and peep a sample below:

Album Review: Buckethead -Pikes 13

Buckethead

Pikes 13

***and1/2 out of *****

The man the myth the guitar legend Buckethead has been called many things. He is known for his eccentric appearance (KFC Bucket, White Mask etc), his shredding guitar style, his nun-chucks, his elusiveness and bizarre horror movie like website/persona, but rarely has the term emotional been brought up when describing the man and that is the first word that comes to mind when listening to Pikes 13. 

The Pikes series is a quick/direct way for Buckethead to release material directly to his devoted fan-base at a low cost. The stream of music may dilute things in the long run, but it allows the artist almost instant access and expression. Overall if this is a good thing can be debated; I wonder what an artist like Frank Zappa would have done with so much freedom? 

Zappa is also a decent comparison for the music on Pikes 13, where both Frank and Bucket were known as virtuosos both are also known as oddballs alienating people with their bizarre wanderings at times. What Pikes 13 proves is like some of the best Zappa tracks ("Watermelon In Easter Hay" being one) that emotions are at the core of music and true feeling can shine through without words.       

The tracks here are mellow, instrumental and not even titled. Acoustic guitar mixes with electric over sometimes light drums or mellow loops and samples, no trademark shredding or in your face freakouts. There seems to be honesty mixing with grief in these tracks. "Track 2" has weeping notes reminiscent of Funkadelic's excellent "Maggot Brain" which Eddie Hazel burned into ears forever while "Track 3" has a sense of forbading lurking around the edges.

"Track 6" is the disk highlight with a building mix of acoustic electric that is simply gorgeous at the end. The album flows as one piece and a distinct hint at where Buckethead's mind is can be glimpsed at from the album art. The Pike series overall has a comic book feel with simple sketches or odd photos gracing the covers of most of the releases. However, Pikes 13 is the first time Buckethead has released anything with a picture of him on it without his mask.  The image on the front shows a young Brian Patrick Carroll in his formative years with what looks like a black bucket on his head an acoustic guitar in his hand while hugging his father.

For this reclusive artist the picture is incredibly telling, in a world where style means so much more then substance, to then have Carroll release this touching collection of tracks and momentarily step from behind his created curtain, it points to this collection music being more personal and hence elevated above the others in this series. 

______________________________________________________________________
Not much more to add, you can collect the Pike Series here, get lost in Bucketheads world here and peep a sample or two below:  
Track 2:

Track 6:

Album Review: The Unnaturals -The Unnaturals vs. The 50ft Bettie

The Unnaturals 

The Unnaturals vs. The 50ft Bettie

***and 1/2 out of *****

The New Orleans based trio The Unnaturals slip and slide around surf rock with scuzzy ease on their first release The Unnaturals vs. The 50ft Bettie. Incorporating elements of punk/garage/rockabilly the group keeps their instrumental tunes rolling early into the next dawn.   

Kevin Bowles on guitar, Jenn Attaway on bass and Dano Cardona on drums inject the proceedings with spit and spirit also titling the tracks pretty perfectly as openers "Sex Wax" and "If Only Keith Richards Could Surf" sound exactly how you think they would; The Ventures by way of the Gulf Coast. 

"Redneck Riot" contains some catchy bass and guitar dueling while "Dead Man's Hand" is a nice ode to Dick Dale. On some opposite ends of the spectrum are "Tequila Mockingbird" which contains a metal edge before "Ballad for a Rebel" shows off a bit of the trio's softer side.

The title tracks shines with a glorious 50's vibe while "Rumblebee" is a showcase for Bowles guitar technical prowess.  "Unnatural Progression" sums up the band nicely in one track as it begins with a country sway before building up the pace to metal speed then inserting punkish breaks.

The group has their style and sound locked in on their first release showing a supreme level of musicianship. Hopefully in the future a tad more variety will mix in with things, but for fans of instrumental surfing rock and roll you need grab this album today.

_____________________________________________________________________
We mentioned catching The Unnaturals open up a show at Siberia during our Sazerwrap-up of Jazzfest, so it is with great joy that we found their newest album on bandcamp.  You can buy the album or stream it here.  Peep some live samples below, this band cooks with more raw energy when they play live and we love that.
"Dead Man's Hand" Live

"Attack of the 50ft Bettie" Live

Album Review: Torches -If People Stare EP

Torches

If People Stare EP

*** out of *****

This is a trio of indie rockers from LA (not to be confused with the roots group from DC we reviewed in 2010) that know how to paint shimmering songs with soaring vocals and electric guitar loops. Their newest EP is If People Stare and the 4 tracks here all have an upbeat pop sensibility you would expect from an LA group while there seems to be a bit of angst just below the surface that adds to the tracks.

It can be noticed distinctly on the first song "When You Gonna".  At first brush it seems just like another love song about a pair of disjointed lovers with Ohh's and Aah's but paying attention to the lyrics adds emotinal depth concerning the death of a relationship.  The fuzzed up guitar outro helps as well; a really cool track.

Bass player (who has since left the group) Bridgette Moody adds gorgeous background vocals to the title track while "Watch You Like a Hawk" has a west coast The National vibe. "In My Sleep" is an uptempo hand clapper that ends this short EP on an energetic note that is sure to get the crowd up dancing in the live setting. 

Solid production and expert sound add to the overall effort. The 4 tracks come in at 13 minutes but it is clearly worth a listen with a combo of gnat like guitars, direct drums and most importantly solid songs. 

________________________________________________________________________
The best part of this review? You don't need to take RtBE's word for it! You can download or stream this EP for free here or here! Def worth 13 minutes of your life to see if you like it and support Torches.

Check them out here, Catch them live here, and peep the video for "When You Gonna" here:

Album Review: Haunted West -Postlude

 Haunted West

Postlude

** out of *****

It is tough to pin down Haunted West’s sound on their first full length album Postlude.  The brain child of Mark Grande with his friends from Wooster, Ohio (as well as other special guests) backing him up, the group seems to be of two minds.

A combo of lyrically focused dark pop tunes with jamband enriched musical changes that don’t always work together when combined in the individual songs. When the band weird's things out the most, like on the disk opener “Skinny Walker” (with guests Skerik, Mike Dillon and Sam Bass) the best results are found. Disk closer “Lodebhar” also lets its freak flag fly; these two tracks are clear disk highlights.

There is a sense of despair/lost love on the whole album but particularly tunes like “Don’t Go Towards The Light”, “I’m Sorry”, “She Haunts Me”, “Empty House” and “Waiting For The End”. Like the songs themselves Grande’s lyrics are straight ahead and vocally he is reminiscent of Lee Ranaldo without the poetry. The most interesting elements of these conventional pop tunes are the times when odd sounds appear out of nowhere; not the lyrical pain Grande is trying to convey. Straight ahead doesn't work as well for the group. 

Production and tone sounds ripe and rich as the disk progresses.  As the band continues to play with their style and strong points (particularly their experimentation) they could produce some interesting results in the future, Postlude as a whole is a shaky first step.

______________________________________________________________________
Not much more to say, Support the band here, grab the album here and peep some samples below: