September 2011

Megafaun – Self-Titled [Album Review]

by Woody on September 28, 2011

Megafaun are one of my favorite bands. Their combination of American Beauty-esque Dead elements, hints of Southern twang and a pinch of Laurel Canyon sound makes for a worthy concoction. Add in their willingness and ability to push the envelope with unique elements makes them a truly special band. With HearYa friend BJ Burton at the helm as producer, Megafaun’s latest self-titled effort is their best yet.

Their sound has always sounded spontaneous – like they picked up instruments and began composing on the fly. We witnessed this feeling in our live session when drummer Joe Westerlund threw a kit together like MacGyver while Phil and Brad Cook plugged in. When asked if they wanted to run one through to warm up, they responded with “Nah, we’ll figure it out.”

The opening tune is aptly named “Real Slow.” After opening with a wandering acoustic, the song gently kicks into gear with Westerlund’s percussion and a guitar lick with shades of Jerry Garcia. I don’t know if “Real Slow” is meant to be truth in advertising or just a coincidence, but it’s these slowed down, gentler moments on Megafaun’s latest that shine.

Another standout track is “Everything” featuring Frazey Ford of The Be Good Tanyas. Her voice is achingly beautiful and it fits in wonderfully with Megafaun’s effortless folk sound. The ballad “Hope You Know” is a gorgeous ballad centered around a simple piano riff as Westerlund keeps a lazy beat – their vocal harmonies floating effortlessly above.

For those not in the know, these guys were in a band with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame. As Vernon was racking up accolades and kicking it with Kanye, I was telling anybody that would listen that Megafaun was better than Bon Iver and that they were missing the boat. Now that I’ve finally come around on Bon Iver (I love his latest release), my hope is that more people will come to know and love Megafaun. For Chicagoans, head out to Schubas tonight to see them in person.

Megafaun – Get Right

Megafaun – State/Meant

Here’s a video from our Live Session with Megafaun. The song “Volunteers” is from their EP, Heretofore.

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Elliott BROOD – Days Into Years [Album Review]

by Woody on September 27, 2011

Long time HearYa favorites, Elliott BROOD are back with their 3rd effort entitled Days Into Years. And true to their rootsy form, the Toronto based trio does not disappoint. After a 5-day journey through the seasides towns, battlefields and cemeteries of the French and Belgian coasts, BROOD saw Canadian names etched in stone at a World War 1 cemetery and started writing a record. Inspired by ghosts and monuments, Days Into Years is a lasting piece of work in its own right.

In taking on such solemn subject matter, the boys seem to dial back their typical frenetic energy.  The album may feel more accessible than past BROOD works, but it also strikes me as more thoughtful than its predecessors. They band crafts songs like “Hold You” that roll by much like the band’s inspired drive down the countrysides, treading lightly and graciously on haunted grounds where spirits lie.

A while back, we featured the lead single, Northern Air and I couldn’t stop playing it for a week straight. It’s a wonderfully crafted song that doesn’t try hard; Neil Young would be proud to call it his. Getting an advanced copy of the full album a couple months later was like manna from heaven. The lead track “Lindsay” sounds like a letter written to someone on the horrors of war. The acoustic version (in video below) from the HeroHill sessions is phenomenal.

I never thought these guys would write a better song than “Write It Down For You” off of ’08′s Mountain Meadows. Um, yeah, I was wrong about that. Elliott BROOD show real growth on Days Into Years and I for one couldn’t be any happier for them. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting them at HearYa World HQ when we did recorded our session and I enjoyed our time together. They were especially nice to my son, Hank, and I am really hoping that more people in the States take notice of this phenomenal band.

Elliott BROOD – Northern Air

Elliott BROOD – Lindsay (From the HeroHill/Paper Bag Records Session)

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White Denim, Live Session #93

by oz on September 23, 2011

White Denim’s latest album D may end up being my favorite release of the year. There have been many great albums released in 2011, but few have I explored with the same depth and focused attention. The band finds a way to blend frantic dueling guitar solos into one cohesive sound and, having never seen a live performance, I have eagerly anticipated this session.

On my short list of tracks was the most accessible track on the album, “Street Joy.” On the album, it serves as a nice reprieve from the roller coaster twists and turns provided by the songs surrounding it. In this session, the song still stands out for me. The band’s albums have always showcased their musicianship, but lead singer James Petralli’s voice sometimes gets lost beneath in the flurry of sound and complex arrangements. On “Street Joy,” his vocals can truly be appreciated in their own right.

A few side notes to this session. Firstly, I just read on Wikipedia that the aforementioned James Petralli is the son of the former major league ball player Gino Petralli. If you collected baseball cards in the late 80′s and early 90′s, you probably remember the frequency at which you’d find Gino in a pack of cards. It bordered on conspiracy. Anyway, I loved discovering the connection.

Secondly, you’ll notice the upgrade in video quality on this session. We were fortunate to have an experienced crew of video professionals from Concentrated (a Chicago-based creative production studio) take over the video duties on this session.  They are the same group that put together the very touching Father’s day video and documentary that we featured in June. We owe a big thank you to them for their hard work.

Enjoy the session and keep your eyes out for our next session with Other Lives.

White Denim Band Introduction

Exclusive: White Denim – Street Joy

Exclusive: White Denim – Anvil Everything

Exclusive: White Denim – Keys

Download the White Denim Live Session as a zip file.

White Denim – Anvil Everything (Live in Chicago at Shirk Music + Sound)

White Denim – Street Joy (Live in Chicago at Shirk Music + Sound)

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Ryan Adams previews new tracks from Ashes & Fire

by oz on September 21, 2011

October 11th marks the day that Ryan Adams will release his long awaited album Ashes & Fire. He has just released four tracks for preview video stream and video and, although The Cardinals are not with him this go ’round, I think it’s safe to say this album will be a great one.

Judge for yourself. The videos are acoustic studio versions and the soundcloud streams are album cuts.

Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire

Ryan Adams – Dirty Rain

Ryan Adams – Lucky Now
Lucky Now by ryanadams

Ryan Adams – Invisible Riverside
Invisible Riverside by ryanadams

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Blitzen Trapper Love The Way You Walk Away [new mp3, Music Video]

September 12, 2011

Blitzen Trapper’s American Goldwing is out tomorrow via Sub Pop Records. For those of you that were miffed about the prog rock sound on their previous record, Destroyer of the Void, it’s time to stop your belly-aching. The Portlanders are back with an incredible Americana rock record. I’ll have more to say very soon, but [...]

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Kennesaw Mountain’s Field of Flags

September 11, 2011

I spent this morning at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, a civil war battleground, with my wife and two kids. Volunteers set up a “Field of Flags” in memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks – three thousand flags. My three year old daughter and one year old son walked through the sea of [...]

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Okkervil River Album and 5-Poster Giveaway [Free Shit]

September 7, 2011

My love for Okkervil River and my man-crush on Will Sheff has often bordered on uncomfortable, to put it mildly. There have been highs – meeting and shaking hands with Will at Stubb’s during SxSW one year. I still haven’t washed my hand. There have been lows – at the post-Lolla show at Schuba’s where [...]

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little hurricane – Homewrecker [Album Review]

September 1, 2011

In the real world I work in insurance. Rising claims from the summer rain and wind has made life pretty shitty. So when Oz sent over an album called Homewrecker by a band called little hurricane (yes, all lowercase),  I couldn’t help but admire the irony. This dirty blues duo from San Diego was brought [...]

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