Category: Reviews

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Muy Cansado – “Not For Nothing” (2012)


Muy Cansado
“Not For Nothing”
2012

When I caught Muy Cansado at The Rosebud, I commented that their sound had “echoes of Boston bands gone by.” I stick by that assessment with their latest single,* “Not For Nothing”. Muy Cansado manages to evoke thoughts of The Pixies, Permafrost and Trona without ever sounding like any of those bands. The song’s signature is a danceable groove offsetting a cool, reverb-drenched guitar riff. Throw in some boy/girl harmonies and you’ve got the makings of a pretty great indie rock tune. If only it had a fantastic breakdown in the middle with cool backwards-masked sounds to put it over the top. Oh wait, it does…

Where to get it:

* They’ve got a video, too!

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Space Cranes – “Apricot One” (2011)


Space Cranes
“Apricot One”
2011

Synthy falsetto goodness! Space Cranes (aka Chis n Kate) have a single out called “Apricot One.” It sounds like The Bee Gees, Bananarama and Beck throwing a party in your basement.* This is the song that gets played a little later in the evening, when everybody’s head is spinning but no one is ready to call it a night. It’s a well crafted pop song with a mid-fi aesthetic.** The high-pitched vocals float along on top of a retro-syth drum beat and a slightly fuzzed out bass line. Throw in a distorto-freakout in the middle and a couple of heavily processed dialogue samples in the outro to put the whole thing over the top. I can’t wait to hear more.

Where to get it:

* Or maybe at Moe’s Lounge in Radio’s basement, where the duo can often be found holding court as part of the He Said She Said series.

** In that way it reminds me a bit of The Folk Implosion.

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The Dirty Truckers – Tiger Stripes (2012)


The Dirty Truckers
Tiger Stripes
2012

Has it really been four years since the last Dirty Truckers release? Dang. No matter. The important thing is that The Dirty Truckers are back with a new EP, Tiger Stripes.

The ‘Truckers manage to pack all of their trademarks into this 18 minute collection. Guitars run ragged, driving bass lines and lyrics that hit a little too close to home can all be found within these six songs. “Stranger In Disguise” kicks things off. It’s one of those barn-burners The Dirty Truckers do so well. “Human Contact,” “Feedback” and “Arms Length” trade a little bit of the opener’s rambunctiousness for bigger hooks, proving it’s not all about being rockingest bands in the land.* “Not That Into You” and “Just Run Away” mine the alt-country territory the band often flirts with. The former is nicely augmented by some well arranged backing vocals and a subtle organ part. The latter features a Vibra-Slap. You can’t go wrong with a Vibra-Slap.

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* Their recent show to celebrate the release of Tiger Stripes suggests their still in contention for that title.

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Black Fortress Of Opium – Stratospherical (2012)


Black Fortress Of Opium
Stratospherical
2012

Black Fortress Of Opium have crafted a weighty work with Stratospherical. The record opens ominously with “Blood Diamond”. The song features dynamic guitars* and bombastic drums supporting Ajda The Turkish Queen’s haunting voice. We stay immersed in this Led Zeppelin meets Siouxsie And The Banshees world on “Afyonkarahisar Battle Cry”, this time adding mandolin and a melodic bass line to the mix. “Blind” brings lush vocal harmonies to the fore.

Stratospherical branches out a bit at its midpoint. “Right Around Here” parts the dark skies with an indie-pop arrangement that would be tagged as upbeat were it not for the subject matter. The melody and vocal treatment make Ajda sound like an in-tune Liz Phair. Tony Savarino drops a timeless guitar solo into “Southern Hymnal”. “Cherry Blossom” has a killer swampy guitar riff at its core. The acoustic “Get The Timing” has an open feel that stands out among the otherwise dense production.

The album closes with “This Dark Clovd”. The song returns to the same exotic place that launched Stratospherical. We leave as we came, awash in a sea of swirling guitars and enchanting harmonies.

Where to get it:

* Check out the cool “Paranoid Android”-esque guitar line at the 2:38 mark. Awesome.

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The Den Mothers – Borrow Beg And Steal (1999)


The Den Mothers
Borrow Beg And Steal
1999

Borrow Beg And Steal by The Den Mothers found former Boy Wonder bassist Paul Natale stepping into the spotlight fronting his own band. It comes off like a late ’90s post-grunge version of The Kinks. It’s equal parts clever and cool, making for a good listen.

There’s a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor to the lyrics. Paul’s wit is evident in “The Fake Song” when he sings “I don’t mean to sound negative/I’m best when at my worst.” He describes a new romance during “Kind Of In Love” that I don’t believe, but I do find entertaining.

The Den Mothers didn’t take themselves too seriously on this four song EP. Like a lot of bands I like, they kept it simple. Just write some catchy songs and have fun.

Where to get it:

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Township – Coming Home (2007)


Township
Coming Home
2007

Township continued the retro-rocking ways of their early EPs on their first full length album, Coming Home. These songs sound like a mix of every ‘70s AOR act you can think of. Foghat? Check. Thin Lizzy? Hell yeah. Heart, The Doobie Brothers, Styx and Kansas? You betcha. Kiss? Check out the “100,000 Years” breakdown and Ace Frehley guitar licks in “Big Bad.” How you feel the big bands of that decade will be a good gut check for how you might feel about Coming Home.

Township dishes out solid classic-rock-inspired fare throughout the record. Coming Home still has the big rock songs you expect from the band. “Millions Of People” has hit single written all over it. “Highway” has some nasty guitar riffs (reminding me of Witchcraft during the breakdown). “Round The Dust” has some cool tempo changes. We also see the guys spreading their wings a bit more.* “Baby Rock Me” is an adventurous ballad with a long slow build. “With You All Along” ventures into Pink Floyd territory.

Township nails the sound of ’70s rock on Coming Home. Check it out if that’s your thing.

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* …and song length. Two of the songs exceed eight minutes in length.

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Noble Rot – Noble Rot (2006)


Noble Rot
Noble Rot
2006

Noble Rot played a raucous brand of rock n’ roll. It was loud, crude, sophomoric and unapologetic. They shot from the hip and tried to take out as many unsuspecting listeners as they could.

On their self-titled disc, the band made a great first impression with “Kicked To The Curb”. The song is an adrenaline fueled rocker with some fantastic backing vocals. “American Hangover” followed, upping the catchiness without losing any edge.

Digging deeper into this full-length, “I See You Coming” is on par with the first couple of tracks. “Mission Hill” and “Leave The Lights Off” work well with just a hint of street-punk anthem in the mix. The lyrics to “Menace,” “Big Bottle Of Love” and “Detox Bitch” are sordid, even by sleaze rock standards. Not your thing? They didn’t care.

Noble Rot never deviated from their Mötö-copter formula. They stuck to their loud fast rock n’ roll manifesto. Rich Hoss’ distinctive vocals provided an identity for the band. Adi Luv and Rodrigo Van Stoli’s guitars could rip and tear in a way that would make Tracii Guns proud. The rhythm section (Hoss on bass and Wes Narron Jr. on drums) was solid throughout. Noble Rot may not have been reinventing the wheel, but they did a good job rolling it recklessly down the road.

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The Wrong Shapes – “A Thousand Foxes” (2012)


The Wrong Shapes
“A Thousand Foxes”
2012

Listening to The Wrong Shapes’ “A Thousand Foxes” is like eavesdropping on a private conversation. Bo Barringer’s crooning is intimately intertwined with Rachel Arnold’s harmony vocals. They are in the moment. Do they even know we’re here? Do they know we’re listening? The drum pattern flutters like an anxious heartbeat. The chiming guitars and looping cello make the whole thing feel like a dream. The enchanting music is at odds with the conflicted lyrics. So it goes as we look on, hoping we’ve gone unnoticed as the song fades away.

Where to get it:

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The Sour Doo-Dahs – Blood Drive EP (2011)


The Sour Doo-Dahs
Blood Drive EP
2011

Blood Drive EP plays out like the soundtrack to some ’70s revenge flick. Open with a beat up old jalopy kicking up some desert dust as a scorpion draws the camera’s focus. Cut to the car’s interior where The Sour Doo-Dahs are blasting away on the radio. “It might not be a bad idea to get the hell out of here.” “The Hellout” is a fuzzed out garage/desert/punk jam of B movie proportions. It’s all rusted steel, gasoline fumes and tumbleweeds. “You” and “T.O.A.D.” round out the three song EP sounding like Nirvana on bad tequila and sunstroke. Sometimes that’s what it takes to be the last one standing when the credits roll.

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Butterknife – Do the Needful (2012)


Butterknife
Do the Needful
2012

Butterknife’s Do The Needful is an exceptional collection of emotionally unsettling power pop. It’s the sound of a relationship exposing its flaws. The songs have a humanity to them. So often songs of this genre become caricatures of themselves in an effort to aggrandize or diminish the virtues of romance. Butterknife manages to keep love’s bittersweet nature intact.

Musically, these songs are polished gems. A fine sense of song craft is on display from the opening snare hits of “$100” through the sea of guitars that carry away “This Was A Romance”. Butterknife can play it straight (“Coattails”) or off-kilter (“June 4”). For the 4:55 duration of “Restless” all of these elements come together in one damn near perfect song. Bittersweet.

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