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Cults – Cults 7″

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Jun 152010
 

cults_kissesandnoise_reviewDuos, duos, duos – what the fuck? They are everywhere, crowding the music scene with interesting variations of electronica, pop, and rock. Of course there are The White Stripes and The Black Keys, but it goes way beyond that. Let me see, there’s The Big Pink, Sleigh Bells, Phantogram, Crystal Castles, The XX, Ratatat, Dirty Projectors, Xiu Xiu, Matt and Kim, Japandroids, YACHT, and what seems like hundreds more. It may have something to do with the economy, the new music model, technology or more likely a combination of all three. By that, I mean with profits falling, touring becoming more costly, and technology allowing artists to create richer, fuller music and perform it with limited live instrumentation may be causing an underlying tendency to streamline the concept of the traditional band. Whatever the reason, duos are ruling the indie scene and Cults is one of the newer groups to enter the fray.

Cults is a band steeped in mystery – at least for now. This could be purposeful in order to develop a rock facade or unintentional due to the quickness of their proliferation. With heavy airplay on satellite radio and a far reaching groundswell rumbling on the blogosphere Cults quickly became a band to watch. With only a Band Camp site and 3 songs available for download Cults seems woefully unprepared or deftly calculating.

Go Outside is the first single from the EP. A song that feels light and uplifting reveals, on closer inspection, a sad and desperate plea to overcome depression. The track is eerily low-fi and simultaneously sugary sweet. It begins with a creepy recording of Jim Jones pleading with his flock, then a simple melody on xylophone. Next come the spectral layered vocals given the bottom-of-the-well production treatment, light guitar, organs, and a chunky bass line mashed out on a synthesizer.

Cults may be the strongest entry in the wave of 60 retro pop because of the power of melody and musical nuance. “Most Wanted” and “The Curse” like “Go Outside” embrace pop vibrancy while simultaneously imbuing dark undertones. These songs sound like they walked right out of the Lesley Gore or Ellie Greenwich songbooks and got smacked around by Pro-Tools and strokes of modern irony along the way.

Written for REAX Online 6.12.2010

Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club at Firestone – 6.12.2010

 Concert Reviews, Concert Video  1 Response »
Jun 132010
 

Wow. Passion Pit is pretty popular. The long line in front of Firestone and down Orange Ave. told the story. That and the fact that I, personally, digitally molested about 394 people on my tedious walk from the front door to the back bar, and for that I’m sorry. Tokyo Police Club was in their encore as I made my way in. People seemed just as psyched to see them as they closed out with “In a Cave” and “Breakneck Speed.” Passion Pit brought a good light show and super-high energy to a rabid crowd on their first-ever stop in Orlando.

“Moth’s Wings”

“Better Things”

“Sleepyhead”

Surfer Blood and Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Firestone – 6.11.2010

 Concert Reviews  No Responses »
Jun 122010
 

This was indie buzz bonanza weekend for Firestone in Orlando. Friday night saw West Palm Beach’s own Surfer Blood open for 80′s pop-sters The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Actually, a last minute switcheroo had Surfer Blood headlining. The Firestone is a challenging place (at best) to sound good in. It sucks because of its potential to be such a great venue, but alas, it genuinely sounds like shit. Pains and Surfer Blood’s sets came off like they would be pretty good in a different room. Pains slithered through a quick set of their shoegaze-y 80′s pop while Surfer Blood amped up their 60′s surf pop meets Dinosaur Jr. sound. One thing which surprised me was how, um, uh, flamboyant – yeah, SB’s – singer, Nick Klein is. He sashayed and pranced back and forth with true frontman swagger – something lacking these days. They swept through a set including “Floating Vibes,” “Swim,” “Slow Jabroni,”  and “Catholic Pagans.” Members of Pains joined SB to close the show with an ironic stab at Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” from 1999.

Surfer Blood “Floating Vibes”

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart”

Covered for REAX Online 6.12.2010

Frenchy and Scramble Campbell join forces for JazzFest 2010

 Concert Reviews  No Responses »
May 212010
 
Levon_Helm-150x150

Legendary Levon Helm at JazzFest 2010 by FRENCHY

Beyond the stellar line-up of performances, this year’s New Orleans Jazzfest saw the convergence of two colossal talents working in unison to record the magic of the music on canvas. Legendary performance painter and New Orleans mainstay, Frenchy, worked side-by-side with Colorado by-way-of-Orlando artist Kevin “Scramble” Campbell. These 2 artists share a similar style which stirs rumors of bitter rivalry in art circles, but it is quite the contrary. Frenchy and Scramble are long-time colleagues and friends and they worked in concert throughout the entire festival to collectively produce nearly 50 paintings that captured the vibe of the festivities.

Frenchy has painted and attended JazzFest since 1988 and in 2010 had his first opportunity to actually work on stage and add to the overall performance of Trombone Shorty and another native Nawlins band, The Radiators. Among many others, Frenchy was able to paint jazz trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and rock titans, Pearl Jam. You can see all the Jazzfest collection from Frenchy at his Oak Street gallery or Online.

Scramble Campbell was also painting at an astonishing rate for the duration of the festival. Inspiration seemed to be in abundance as the two artists produced a prolific run of paintings. Throughout the festival, Scramble displayed his artwork at Frenchy’s New Orleans gallery. Scramble’s works from the festival can be seen and purchased on his website.

In the impromptu spirit of jazz, legendary Grateful Dead drummer, Bill Kreutzman popped his head in Frenchy’s Oak Street gallery to say hello to his close friend. Before he left, the casual visit evolved into a collaboration with Frenchy and Scramble to seize the essence of the festival on canvas. Together they danced and grooved to the Dead’s 1973 classic “Eyes of the World” all while dousing and splaying paint in a stream-of-conscious frenzy of inspiration and improvisation. Like jazz masters, Frenchy and Scramble weave their visual notes of shape and color in and out of each other while Kreutzman adds rhythm and texture with his paint soaked mallets. This was a stunning confluence of thought, expression, talent, creativity, and chance, which sums up this storied city and whimsical event.

Frenchy, Scramble Campbell, and The Dead’s Bill Kreutzman collaborate for JazzFest

Written for Frenchy Live and JamBase

Sleigh Bells – Treats

 Album Reviews  1 Response »
May 182010
 

 

SleighBells-kissesandnoise.com

jarring good melodies

I had no idea a bunch of synthesizers, drum machines (an occasional real kit), a good female lead, and one giant guitar could be so fun. Brooklyn duo, Sleigh Bells, pounding, screeching, infectiously delicious noise pop explodes on their debut album, Treats. Songs like “Riot Rhythm” and “Kids” sound like anthemic Le Tigre singalongs played through Sonic Youth’s guitar rig in the back of a school bus … that’s slamming broadside into the side of a mountain. Piles of sound, which independently and without the shape of melody could easily be nerve racking, come together in a hard-edged and fierce pop attack.

Alexis Krauss’s sweet yet pummeling vocals sing velvet-y calls to action along with grinding distorted guitar and sub-woofer testing bass drops on “Infinity Guitars.” “Run the Heart” offers the same signature vocals with slammin’ bass worthy of the hardest booty club swirled up in a haze of guitar effects and more synth that seems closer to house music than indie rock. A pervasive feeling of bittersweet sentiment carries the Leiber-and-Stoller-songwriting-meets-the-Flaming-Lips-production of “Rill Rill.” The first single, “Crown on the Ground,” basically encapsulates the feel of the album. It defines noise pop ‚ a series of distorted sounds, muffled melodies, and other various, squealing, moving parts that, in the wrong hands, could cause serious damage.

Treats ties the low-fi, the squelching and buzzing, and yes, one big, fat, loud guitar together rather nicely. The entire album walks a very fine and precarious line between innovation and noisy repetition, but saunters away victorious. I’m just not sure how Sleigh Bells could follow this up …

Written for REAX Online 5.16.2010

Cults – “Go Outside” – The Coolest Song Ever! … Right Now

 Coolest Song Ever! ... Right Now  1 Response »
May 172010
 
Groove it daddy-o, to this far-out retro treat

Groove it daddy-o, to this far-out retro treat

I don’t know much about this band other than one of the guys on SIRIUS XMU’s Blog Radio started a record label (a dubious undertaking these days) and Cults is one of the bands – another indie duo actually. If you pop their name in a search engine, you better add “the band” or “music” or you will find everything except this group. This song is infectious and bubblegum at the surface, but a deeper listen reveals the song is sort of the musical interpretation of a desperate plea for a friend to end their depression.

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Download their 7″ for FREE

The Black Keys – Brothers

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
May 122010
 

The Black Keys_Brothers_kissesandnoise.comI recently took a jab at Black Rebel Motorcycle Club for remaining comfortably in the retro, DIY, garage pocket they helped to define, but surmised that since they do it so well it might not be such a bad thing. Another group that could easily follow the same path is The Black Keys. To the contrary, the Akron duo redefine themselves, expanding beyond the minimalist hipster rock they thrive on. The new album, Brothers, is an eclectic blend of blues, soulful pop, rock, and late Motown. The time spent on their Blakroc project steeped them in hip hop and R&B and seems to have left a lasting impression.

From the sizzling lilt of the opener “Everlasting Light” to the Danger Mouse produced soul / rock masterpiece “Tighten Up” through to the grinding “Sinister Kid,” Brothers delivers 15 independent, creative, and strong stand-alone tracks. Every song possesses the blues infused garage rock of the Keys in its DNA, but each is touched and invigorated by a gamut of pop music influences. Brothers has every indication of a band with strong songwriting and delivery, but hints at a grander notion – a dynamic, evolving musical presence with real staying power.

Written for REAX Online 5.11.2010

The Coolest Song Ever! … Right Now comes from the world of Chill Wave

 Coolest Song Ever! ... Right Now  1 Response »
May 042010
 
neon-indian-kissesandnoise.com

Aw man, my favorite mixtape!

You may ask yourself, “Where is that large automobile?” No, really – you may ask yourself, “What the fuck is chill wave?” Well some may call it a breakthrough new trend in the world of rock music while I would call it a nifty sub-genre of a sub-genre (Rock>Alt Rock>Indie Rock>Chill Wave). Either way, there are some interesting artists putting out interesting iterations of pop music, like Toro y Moi, Washed Out, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti, and Neon Indian. While I don’t think this is groundbreaking shit here, it deserves some attention. This is “Terminally Chill” from Neon Indian and I like it because there is good pop song – one that sounds strikingly like Steely Dan (maybe I’m crazy) – underneath muffled waves of synth and production. It almost continues the vibe that indie delivers – I’m too cool to write a straight-up pop song. Whatev.

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