Drummers. Often mocked as the least important member of the band. Naysayers may claim that they just keep the beat and let the vocals and lead guitar take the glory. I’ve never bought into that stereotype and feel that drummers are the backbone of the band. See The National, Radiohead or Sleater-Kinney as relevant examples from our generation that have been made considerably better by their drummers. With the trend of two person bands, drummers have raised their stock – Brian Moen of Peter Wolf Crier is a great example.
Peter Wolf Crier are a shining example of what two guys can do when you have a great drummer. And not to blow sunshine up Shirk’s dress, but he did a great job producing this session. He dirties up Peter Pisano’s guitar and captures the live flavor of Peter Wolf Crier.
And back to the drumming, much like Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, Brian Moen is always on the spot. The feedback and loops work incredibly well with Brian’s consistency on the drum kit. His effort gives Peter the freedom to create unique sounds and no matter what squeals out of the amps, Brian is always right there propelling the song forward. You put an inferior drummer in that spot and it could sound like a mess.
Download the tunes and get a taste, but I can’t stress how enjoyable they are live.
The War On Drugs won us over back in 2008 after we discovered the band’s debut release, Wagonwheel Blues. We described them as “Bob Dylan fronting a shoe-gaze band” back then. “Comin’ Through” was just released and I’m hearing some Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) in the guitar work.
The follow up has been a long time coming, but it’s almost here. Future Weather will be released on October 26th and I have no doubt that it will be outstanding. “Comin Through” has me salivating for the full LP.
Like many of my favorite bands, Chief has the ability to create soaring 3 and 4 piece harmonies that transport you to a time a long ago. The quartet grew up in CA, but all met at NYU. Now back in Cali, the band’s debut album Modern Rituals best resembles their upbringing with a Laurel Canyon-feel as it takes you on a mellow ride with each listen.
Like another debut this year, Local Natives’ Gorilla Manor, Chief’s drawing card are the aforementioned harmonies. Unlike Local Natives, the accompanying music is not as propulsive and varied. Chief opts for tasty guitar licks with a steady backbeat (which remind me of The Strokes & The Walkmen) that rarely veer off course. Whereas Gorilla Manor is so immediately striking and appealing, Modern Rituals is better appreciated over multiple listens as it lazily sucks you in to the beauty Chief’s music. Two different approaches and two great debuts. A couple of my favorite tracks include “Stealing,” “Nothing’s Wrong” and “Irish Song.”
Modern Rituals is best consumed in its entirety while lying outside or on a long countryside drive. Let it wash over you and feel your mood take a turn for the brighter side. All in all, Modern Rituals is a fine debut by a very talented band. Chief show a tremendous amount of promise and I am sure you will be hearing plenty from them moving forward.
L.A. experimental folk duo, Pepper Rabbit, are set to release a new album entitled Beauregard on October 26th via Kanine Records (Surfer Blood, Grizzly Bear). The first track released is the beautifully warm “Older Brother,” an indie-folk-pop song that plucks along with subtle touches of ukulele, keys, horns, and choruses of oooh-ooh-ooh-ooooh’s that create something magical. I’ll be sure to report back after hearing the full LP.
An affinity for 80s music may be a prerequisite to becoming a Wolf Parade fan. As I listened to Expo 86 for the first few times, visions of 80s movies started (literally) dancing in my head. Midway through the albums fourth track, “Little Golden Age,” my visions became crystal clear. I could almost smell the [...]
Ryan Bingham has offered a free album to one lucky HearYa reader of our choosing. All you have to do is email freeshit@hearya.com and say something nice – flattery will get you somewhere. Our complex selection algorithm will do the rest and find a worthy winner. Here are the details of the new album: Junky [...]
One of my favorite Canadian bands is back with a follow up to one of the most personal albums I’ve ever come across. The Acorn’s last album, Glory Hope Mountain, told the story of lead singer’s Rolf Klausener’s mother’s journey from her native Honduras to Canada. It is a brilliant album that continues to resonate [...]
Last week, I spent some time in Ohio visiting with an old friend who has seen his been in the service and seen his fair share of Iraq and Afghanistan. We didn’t talk much about the war, but he did make some comments about how it’s impacted his day-to-day life back in the States. He [...]
Here are the tracks we discussed over the last couple weeks. First, from our live sessions with Futurebirds and Nick Jaina: Futurebirds Band Intro Jam Exclusive: Futurebirds – Johnny Utah Exclusive: Futurebirds – APO (Videos: Vimeo | YouTube) Exclusive: Futurebirds – Sam Jones Exclusive: Futurebirds – Ski Chalet (Videos: Vimeo | YouTube) Download the Futurebirds [...]
There are several mp3′s we’ve neglected to share in recent days. Here’s a quick recap. Dax Riggs’ recent release, Say Goodnight To The World, is out now and he’s stopping by for a HearYa Live Session this afternoon. Chicagoans can catch him at The Empty Bottle tonight. Dax Riggs – Say Goodnight To The World [...]
