Quick & Lazy Review: The Bird & The Bee eponymous 2007 album

The Bird and The Bee: The Bird and the Bee

Meh.

First impression: What the sh*t am I listening to? It's far too breezy and sunny, far too saccharine, trying to be a light psychedelic pop tossed with a breed of indie that doesn't seem to fit together that well.

The songs can't seem to stay in one vein for more than 30 seconds at a clip, changing style frequently. It's not that what I'm hearing is bad, it's that they jump too rapidly and without a novel radicalism that would make it interesting.

Some people go in for the synthesizer that sounds like 8-bit video game music, and while I do go in for that sort of thing myself sometimes, I can't say I'm enjoying it here. Also, enough with the tambourine bullsh*t. At times, they come off like trying to be The Doors; at others like they're trying to be a Nintendo Entertainment System. Sometimes, trying to be both at the same time.

Seriously, ENOUGH WITH THE PSEUDO-60s SH*T.

In some ways, it reminds of me of last year's Marry Me from St. Vincent, only Marry Me was much more competent with the breezy indie pop thing.

This may grow on me someday, but not right now. Tonight, I find it more annoying than enjoyable. There may be promise for this group in the future, but The Bird and The Bee isn't inducing me to follow their career that closely, if at all.



The Bird and The Bee online and at myspace

The Raveonettes, Lust Lust Lust

Late post because A.) I had to go out and get something to review and B.) I wasn't planning on that afternoon nap being more than an hour. Shows you what I know.

I get the feeling The Raveonettes have been listening to alot of Jesus and Mary Chain while gearing up for Lust Lust Lust since much of the album bears the a similar sound to that wildly distorted blast from the past. According to my reading, they claim influences from girlpop groups such as the The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las, to more experimental rock outfits like The Velvet Underground, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine. The influence shows, but instead of being grossly derivative, it comes off as being a celebration of the styles that made them what they are.

Confession: I remember about 6 years ago when "Attack of the Ghost Riders" was released as a music video, watching the black and white campy two and a half minutes and thinking that it wasn't that impressive. Not my thing. Maybe I was watching at my college campus' cafeteria, a place notorious for not having the sound turned on half the time (or just being drowned out by the massed hordes), so that wasn't a fair shake. I have since repented, broke down, and gave this a shot.

First impression was good, borderline exceptional. They are wild fuzzy and overdriven like The Jesus and Mary Chain before them, but with a twist of sexy and pop that makes for a smooth finish (why am I describing this like a mixed drink?). First track "Aly, Walk With Me" is a groovy, fuzzed-out distorted monstrosity that is darkly sexy and became immediate favorite of the album. Next track "Hallucinations" features a building intro keeps me in suspense in the best way. "Lust" evokes a sound like a crossover of Western ride-into-the-sunset with 60's psychedelic pop. The inspiration of JaMC once again makes itself evident in the sparkle of "Dead Sound," and for the next two tracks. "Expelled From Love"has a kind of doom-ridden repetitive sort of drone, once again calling that build-up that I liked about "Hallucinations." "You Want The Candy"is that glorious mix of girlpop Ronettes/Shangri-Las inspired material with the fuzzy guitars that I love so much, and the vibe continues into "Blitzed" and "Sad Transmission." The ambiance changes with "With My Eyes Closed," shifting to something slower, clearer, and mellow, only to shift again"The Beat Dies." That goes to a slow-dance pop echo distortion that sweeps me up. Bonus tracks "My Heartbeat's Dying" and "Honey, I Never Had You" do the blend thing again.

If I have a single problem with the record, it lies in that the songs are too bloody short. At a runtime of 47:12 (US version with two bonus tracks, one of which is a European LP-only bonus), it should feel much longer than it does. Most of the songs are around the three minute mark; while I have no problems with brevity, I'm just getting into them when they end and move to the next track.

The album art has this two-color 3-d look, like it was supposed to come with 3-d glasses (In the UK, it did. According to wikipedia, the album didn't chart in the UK because freebies are verboten and disqualify an album from the charts). Liner notes are a single sheet, folded in quarters, with lyrics for everything but the two bonus tracks. Nothing special, aside from the 3-d effect, but not lacking anything either.

I'm going to put this down as a recommended album for this year. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the experience, it has enticed me to backtrack and pick up their previous recordings. NME informs us from a June article that they plan on releasing three EPs later this year (one each for the months September, October, and November), so I suppose I'll be picking those up as well.

While it is quite a good record, it's not exactly blowing my skull to little bits. Recommended, hell yes; top ten, probably; top five, probably not. But get it anyway. Chances are you'll not hear that many blends of 60s girlpop and distorted lo-fi rock, and this is the one to pick up.



The Raveonettes online and at myspace

Pamela Sue Mann, L'oeuf

As I said on Tuesday, I made an impulse buy last Thursday before attending the show at Oasis. Something about the album caught my fancy in an indescribable way. Maybe it was the jet black hardcover book-style case, or the French title on the front and nothing on the back but a picture of the artist. The only idea I had as to what I was getting into was the review clipped from Chronogram that was taped to the first copy on the shelf. Plus, the name sounded nice: Pamela Sue Mann. Usage of middle name is considered pretentious in some circles, but if it sounds good, why not go with it?

From what I've read, Pamela Sue Mann is a local artist residing in High Falls, married to Gerry Leonard (who produced L'oeuf and has performed with David Bowie, among others(note some of the guitar work reminds me of Heathen, and there's a reason for that)), and apparently she did a live performance last October in Rhino Records. My question: where in Rhino? The place is a glorified shoebox, a hole in the wall with no place to set up a musician of any variety, unless you duct-taped her to the ceiling. Also, L'oeuf was assembled from songs written and recorded over the past couple years, but only released in 2007. It is her second album.

The first song (and title track) is probably my favorite since it's got a nice fuzzy guitar driving the track. The intro to "ivy" grabbed me. "... is a lifetime" also nabbed me from the start and stood out for being driven by loops and distortions, unlike most of the album. "Amen" is superb. However, I can't say L'oeuf really blowing my mind. But that's not really what it's supposed to be doing, is it? No, this is meant to sweep me away on a gentle breeze. Admitted, with the Chronogram review, I was expecting something a bit more distorted and guitar-driven, but I am not disappointed with what I wound up with as opposed to where my hyperactive imagination was trying to take me before even listening to the CD.

It strikes me as being in a similar vein as various ethereal wave musicians blended with a kind of girly-girl singer-songwriters. At times, this sounds kind of like a watered-down Cocteau Twins with less distorted and soaring guitar work and Lisa Loeb on vocals. Other times, more like a more gothic romantic-fashioned straight-up singer-songwriter. Not to say that any of that is bad, but people with no tolerance for higher pitched female voices will find this ear-splittingly annoying. The rest of us will tell the complainers to be quiet; we're trying to enjoy the music.

Already noted is the album packaging, fashioned as a hardcover book with full liner notes and lyrics in a really nice handwriting and script fonts. All photography is black and white; point in fact, those are the only colors to appear on this album. Nothing but class from front to back. It matches the music very nicely. Supposedly, the disc is enhanced with a bonus video, but I have not checked that out at this time.

What L'oeuf is, from where I'm standing, is beautiful. It's sweet without being artificial, a touch dark as needed, and a whole lot of gothic romantic. L'oeuf is perfectly pleasant, enjoyable, and more than worth listening to. It's worth getting lost in, at least for awhile. Catch that breeze and float off.



Pamela Sue Mann's myspace page that hasn't been accessed since June of last year, and her website that doesn't look like it's been updated since about the same time.

album cover image ganked from CDBaby's Pamela Sue Mann L'oeuf page

The Dan Brother Band, Live At Oasis, New Paltz 8/14/08

On a steady diet of rum-and-Cokes last Thursday, I saw some pretty wild music. The evening started out pretty mellow: I drove to New Paltz out of pure and utter boredom, looked around the town's much-beloved independent music store, made an impulse buy (wait until Thursday for more on that), went to the bar, had a beer, walked around town to see what was happening, went back to the bar, had another beer, and pondered just where I had heard the name "Dan Brother Band." They were the band playing at Oasis that night, and the name sounded dreadfully familiar. So I stuck around to find out who they were. As it turns out, the name was familiar because I had seen a myspace bulletin regarding the theft of Dan Brother's guitars and gear sometime last year. Not one to let that rather infuriating hurdle stop him, Dan has since replaced his lost equipment and continues to fight on.

The evening was bizarre on some notes. In a night-long fog of beer and rum (for a change, this blog lives up to its name), I saw strange men acting strangely in sunglasses and tie-dye t-shirts, had discussions outside with random college acquaintances regarding proper dental care, and discussed Max Rebo with the bassist's wife, a fellow underpaid English major.

Enough digressions; let's get to the music. The Dan Brother Band, as far as local blues rock goes, is exemplary. I've seen numerous local bands in this genre, and these guys are truly cut from better cloth. Dan Brother is a quick and vicious guitar player as well as a melodious singer. Dan Brother: the f#cker can shred. An unfortunate tendency in some of the younger blues rockers is attempting to sound like they're about 50 and smoke three packs a day; Brother doesn't do that. He may be sounding kind of rough, but that's what the genre calls for.

The band is tight. They work really well together and bring the rock. Timing is spot on, solos don't go longer than they need to, everything falls into place beautifully. One particular item of note was a bass solo (courtesy bassist Jason Upchurch) that featured elements of "Smooth Criminal," which was really wild.

Brother also appears to be a heck of a Hendrix fan. The band performed "Purple Haze," "Hey Joe," and "All Along the Watchtower," all in a Hendrix style. I don't mind much because Hendrix was and still is phenomenal, and I'm glad that Brother and company feel the same way. If anything, the number of Hendrix-styled material, be they covers or covers styled like other covers, displays the potency of the band's playing, and also links me neatly to my next point.

While I feel that The Dan Brother Band is the best local blues rock band I've seen, I also feel that they could benefit by expanding their horizons. There's a large number of blues rockers in this area; the arena is overflowing, so perhaps changing gears a bit would be a good thing. Set themselves apart from the crowd. Experimenting never hurts, and they're too damn talented to hang around this stagnant pool. But even if they keep going the way they are now, they still put on a great show. I usually don't go in for this kind of music, and they kept my (somewhat hazy) attention for most of the set. No other blues rock band in my life has retained my attention, drunk or not, for almost three hours.

By 1:40am, the audience seemed to have thinned. The only people by then who appeared to still be enjoying the music were the gay couple who ruled the dance floor. I was beyond tired and left twenty minutes later during the band's second break. I wish I could have stayed until the end of their set, but time and long drives were not conducive to staying an extra hour. Not once in the time I was watching them did they ever falter, screw up a song, or lose their energy. I can only assume they continued with the same fervor they started out with and left the crowd pleased.

I'm glad I stuck around for the music based solely on that vague recollection of stolen gear. The Dan Brother Band is incredibly adept at what they do, so if blues rock is your thing, I'd recommend checking them out.



The Dan Brother Band is:
Jason Upchurch: bass
Rob Curtis: drums
Dan Brother: guitar/vocals

The Dan Brother Band at myspace

photo: Dan Brother on the back porch of The Corner Stage, 368 E. Main Street, Middletown NY
photo by: Michael Bloom

/Remind me to avoid $1 rack drinks in the future.
/Also, remind me to bring a camera next time I check out live music; I wish I had some shots from the show to post here.

THIS JUST IN!

Ladies and gentlemen (all four of your), I have just seen an announcement that New Paltz favorite dreadlocked folk rocker whatsit collective NCM will be live in the WRRV studios this Sunday at 11pm Eastern. I don't know if they're going to be performing, or just being wiseasses, so get thee to a radio that night and find out.

Hudson Valley listeners can tune in to 92.7 or 96.9 FM, and everyone else can listen to the streaming webcast at wrrv.com. Yes, I know commercial radio sucks these days, but this is a local outfit, and I want to make sure they get some good ratings.

Now get on it!



NCM's website
NCM at myspace

Quick Hiatus

Rum-Soaked Review is taking a break to gather materials for future reviews. By that, I mean I'm going bar-hopping. Hey, musicians hang at bars, don't they?

See you all soon, and with new material.

Song Spotlight: "Doris Daytheearthstoodstill", by Future Bible Heroes

Okay, I have to admit that there's very little of interest (at least to me) happening in the world of music. If you want to prove me wrong, feel free to contact me with something new and exciting in your hands. As such, combined with my lack of graft, not much has been happening here at Rum-Soaked Review. Hard to keep up with the publishing schedule I have set for myself.

To counter this vicious onslaught of inactivity, I'm introducing a new feature: the Song Spotlight. I shall briefly discuss what I think about a single song rather than rant at length about a whole album. I've decided that Future Bible Heroes' song "Doris Daytheearthstoodstill" shall be the first subject of this feature.

While I am not enamored of most of Future Bible Heroes' 2002 album Eternal Youth, "Doris DayTheEarthStoodStill" stands out as a favorite song on its own merits. First of all, it sounds like a Caribbean beach party on the moon. Second, the title is just hilarious. The lyrics are also quite charming and imaginative.

You could argue that I'm a sucker for songs that put me in orbit with their unique sound. "Suede," by Tori Amos, also has this effect on me. "Doris Daytheearthstoodstill" is just a plain fun track featuring beautifully atmospheric music and a wit that is lacking in much of contemporary music. I recommend spinning this one a couple times and letting it transport your to outer space.



Future Bible Heroes website and myspace
If you like FBH, then you might be interested in other Stephen Merritt projects The Magnetic Fields and The Gothic Archies

Motion Picture Soundtracks

Motion picture soundtrack. Original sountrack, abbreviated OST. We're all familiar with them. The use of music as dressing for some lame summer blockbuster. I used to have many, since my primary interest in music in my younger days came from the incessant flow of movies my family dragged me to.

From where I'm sitting, there's two different approaches to the movie soundtrack. One is to view the music as its own unique and potent force that accentuates the events on screen (see above). The other is to treat the music as something to hold the attention of the viewer during a drawn-out, ridiculous, overly-expensive and just plain dumb car chase. Unfortunately, the latter approach seems to be the predominate method used by Hollywood. So many soundtracks are merely mixtapes of songs that didn't quite make it to "b-side" quality level. Rubbish that even the artist didn't know what to do with and was most likely glad to have sold to someone.

However, some soundtracks are damn good stuff. Tom Waits has done at least two complete soundtracks: One from the Heart and Night On Earth. I recently acquired the remastered edition of the One from the Heart soundtrack, and it was quite good. I wouldn't call it his best work, but it was nice. I am dying to get my paws on Night On Earth, but that is a bit rare and difficult to get ahold of. It's also one of the few Waits albums I don't have (hint to anyone that sees it and wants to get me a Christmas gift early). But alas, I digress.

The afore-mentioned One from the Heart soundtrack had an interesting approach behind it. Francis Ford Coppola told Tom Waits to write and record the music, then he'd make a movie around it. The movie went on to be a flop, but the soundtrack stood up against the forces of time. It has never been out of print (except the remastered version, which seems to be currently unavailable for the most part). An interesting aftershock of the pairing of Waits and Coppola has been in Waits making the occasional role in Coppola's movies (see Bram Stoker's Dracula for Waits turning the character Renfield on his head and making the character his own for all time).

Wendy Carlos blew many minds with the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange. The relatively new art of the synthesizer keyboard lent a powerful futuristic feel to the film. While not a movie, Mark Snow's music for The X-Files TV series enhanced the ambiance of the paranormal and extraordinary. Hum the theme in a supermarket and everyone will know what you're humming.

The only point I'm trying to make here is that motion pictures, as a conglomerate artform, should treat the music featured in them with more respect than they currently do. The movie is a mix of theater, music, writing, and technology. All too often, the creators of the average movie treat the art as so much filler, giving technology the center stage. Bad acting combined with bad music and bad writing equals the formula for bland trash that will be swept aside and forgotten by the end of the season.

But I suppose only true artists give a damn about making a work such as a movie more than the sum of its parts. A memorable work is made of more than CGI explosions and sound effects.