During my 3 1/2 years in the Silicon Valley, The Mumlers were the only bright spot in a non-existent music scene. San Francisco is thriving and Santa Cruz has a decent thing going on, but in between lies a barren musical wasteland of towns like San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto. Despite having the music scene card stacked against them in their home town, The Mumlers have released a pleasant surprise with their sophomore album Don’t Throw Me Away.
The California six-piece mixes soul, folk and alt-country sounds into a sound that would be better suited for a stupor in The Big Easy or a drunken Jazz Funeral. The Mumlers’ instrumentation, including guitars, drums, upright bass, various keyboards, euphonium, french horn, trumpet, clarinet, tambourine and pedal steel, culminates in a punch drunk cacophony of sound that will turn your world into one of those old sepia tone silent movies, where you’ll stagger from one speakeasy to the next at an awkward, old-timey movie reel fast pace.
Standout tracks include “Tangled Up With You,” “99 Years Ago” (bonus points for mentioning the state of Ohio), the title track, and the boisterous “Coffin Factory.” I attempted to see the band twice in the bay area, but both venues (Red Rock Coffee Shop in Mountain View and The Blank Club in San Jose) completely devastated the experience with poor sound quality. I walked out of both shows halfway through The Mumlers third song, but those experiences have done nothing to diminish my appreciation for Don’t Throw Me Away. I look forward to catching them at a proper venue.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a roundup, so here are the tracks we’ve been discussing recently. First, from our live session with Port O’Brien:
The freaking internet! This thing never ceases to amaze me. I was sitting around watching TV tonight when the Free Credit Report Dot Com song came on and, per usual, I was mesmerized. The evolution of the guy who plays the lead singer in these commercials is amazing. He’s what you literature majors would call a “dynamic character.”
In the first commercial, he looked like he wanted to pee in his hands and rub his eyes with them. Yet slowly but surely, he appears to have gradually embraced this role over time. And now, he’s become a kitschy television sensation and he’s hamming it up in every commercial like his next date with a Chili’s waitress depends on it. They’ve even set up a web site where you can download the songs.
Now there are covers of the song popping up on The Freaking Internet. Granted, no one is looking at these but me because I’m a d-bag, but I thought I’d share two of the more interesting ones with HearYa readers since there are 2 or 3 of you out there who don’t hate me.
Free Credit Report Song by Knockout Theory My favorite thing about this version is that these guys scored a gig at Hot Topic in the mall. I think it was the Hot Topic in Ridic-town, USA. Amazingly, it appears they have a rabid following of 15 year old girls. See you at their next gig at the Everything But Water when they open up for Debbie Gibson.
Free Credit Report Song by Brethren of the Coast
These guys actually shred it in this version. The guitar solo is incredible. I also appreciate that the lead singer is wearing a pirate hat, black jeans, a purple quite possibly silk shirt, and what appears to be Tevas. I love this band so much I wish I was sitting on the zebra stripe chair on stage right this second.
Back in March, I was desperately trying to catch a cab at SxSW to make my way across town to catch an band who’s name I now can’t recall. I ended up sharing a taxi with a couple of Brits and we got to talking about music and the band’s we’d seen. In response to who was the best act they had seen, without hesitation and in unison, they said “Mumford & Sons.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch the band at one of their other performances.
And after spinning Sigh No More, I am even more bummed by inability to catch them. Lumped in with Laura Marling and Noah & The Whale as part of London’s folk revival, Mumford & Sons delivers one of the years better debuts. The album begins with the title track. As soon as you hear the slow build up with four-part harmonies, you know you’re in for a treat. Once the band kicks in with some fantastic arrangements including copious amounts of jamming banjo, you know you have something to be thankful for this holiday season.
The thing I like about this album is that the band pays attention to details, allowing you to get lost in the subtle intricacies and then blown away with big finishes. “The Cave” sounds like a tune that you would hear in a coffee house as it begins with simple strumming and slowly begins as the rest of the band joins in until they reach a frenetic finish.
The lead single, “Little Lion Man” wears its heart on its sleeve with the sing-along chorus, “It was not your fault but mine/ It was your heart on the line/ I really fucked it up this time.” It is a fantastically catchy tune that will make immediate fans out of many here in the States.
After listening to the album several times over the past week, my only gripe is that it’s a little too polished for my taste. I’d like them to muddy the waters, not quite to the reaches of O’Death, but just a little grime would be a nice change of pace now and then.‚ I would say if you enjoyed the harmonies and banjo-led numbers on The Avett Brothers’ Emotionalism, you’ll enjoy this release.
I’ve reviewed Grayson Capps’ last two releases Songbones and Rott n’ Roll and described him as part country singer, part bluesman, part preacher, part vagabond and part poet. It’s hard not to love his southern, scruffy barroom mystique and it’s captured well in his upcoming live album and DVD from a solo acoustic show at [...]
I’ve given Michael McDonald a hard time over the years and I just want to take this opportunity to apologize. I’m sure everyone has already heard the Grizzly Bear/Michael McDonald collaboration on Grizzly Bear’s “While You Wait for the Others”. I recently heard it for the first time and, yes, it’s incredible. It gives my [...]
The Parkas have been rocking Canada for eight years and have decided to throw in the towel after releasing their third album. Look for When You Had The Chance on December 1. Until then, dive into the water in your boxer briefs. The Parkas – The Gang’s All Gone Tweet
Tim Williams released his sophomore album in October and we totally overlooked it. Careful Love is Tim’s introspective look at life and death as he underwent heart surgery for a bad valve. Here’s a track and video from the album. Tim Williams – Bruises (Acoustic) Also released… Video: Tim Williams – I Hit Another Wall [...]
Since I’ve neglected my editor responsibilities for HearYa while unpacking boxes and getting my life straightened out, I’m going to ease back into the swing of things by posting a few tracks today, one at a time. First up is Canadian-Americana singer Luke Doucet. His album, Blood’s Too Rich, is out now via Six Shooter [...]
The relocation is finally over and it was one helluva drive. 2,600 miles with a shaggy-ass dog, but had a safe to trip from California to Georgia with stops in Utah, Colorado and Kansas. My dog saw snow for the first time, I stayed with a pal in Boulder who has a pig from a [...]
