album review

Strand of Oaks is a bit deceptive as a moniker since the band is really just one man named Timothy Showalter. He’s an Indiana native that’s now living as a school teacher and school bus driver in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He’s also a brilliant songwriter that has quietly released a stunning debut album called Leave Ruin.

The title of the album is autobiographical. Timothy came home one night to find his house burned down and all if his possessions turned to ash. He was forced to start over with a borrowed guitar, pen, paper and a devastating source of inspiration to tell his stories.

Showalter describes his sound as early Neil Young or Springsteen, but I immediately drew comparisons to modern day contemporaries – like a cross between Mark Kozalek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon) and Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co.). When I heard the opening of the first track, “End In Flames,” I was immediately reminded of the Red House Painters song, “Have You Forgotten.” It’s a beautiful song that layers on instrumentation as the song builds and repeats a chorus that can only be a reflection on his personal tragedy: “This is what it feels like to see the world in flames.”

The next song, “Two Kids,” moves away from the shoe-gazy Kozalek sound and starts moving into Molina territory with the introduction of the banjo and more downcast folk-Americana. From there, the album moves seamlessly from one breathtaking track to the next and culminates with the title track. Strand of Oaks spends most of the album reflecting on tough times, but leaves us with a hopeful sentiment about how things will get better. It’s a sentiment that’s good to hear these days.

With so many music submissions arriving in our inbox and mailbox, it was refreshing to discover Leave Ruin on eMusic by happenstance. I’d never heard of Strand of Oaks and now it’s an album I can’t pull myself away from.

MySpace | La Societe Expeditionnaire

Strand Of Oaks – End In Flames

Strand Of Oaks, Live at The Nave:

Strand Of Oaks – Leave Ruin

Strand Of Oaks – Sister Evangeline

Strand Of Oaks – Daniel’s Blues

Strand Of Oaks – Sterling

Strand Of Oaks – Two Kids

Strand Of Oaks – End In Flames

Download the live tracks as a zip.

Video: Strand of Oaks – Two Kids

The Traditionist is contrarian. The man behind the moniker is actually Joey Barro of the Antiques and, for those that unfamiliar with their lazy California alt-country sound, The Traditionist is not nearly as…traditional. On Season To Season, Barro stretches his legs to find new sounds and the result is a deeply personal album.

If you haven’t been following HearYa since April of 2007 (that’s 99% of you), you probably didn’t see our very first live session recorded in San Francisco with Joey Barro at Michael Winger’s studio. Prior to the session, I got a quick glimpse inside the recording of Season To Season at Tim Bluhm’s (of the Mother Hips) studio. Jackie Greene was also there, but he was mostly looking at surfing websites. Enough name dropping. I really just said “hello,” sat in a corner and drank a Budweiser.

One of the tracks that emerged in our session with Barro was “I Know My Ocean.” Here we are, two years later, and that same track is now on his first release as The Traditionist. Season To Season originally started off as an Antiques record, but the sound became a big departure from their Americana vibe and, instead, became a solo project. While some of the tracks experiment with electronic elements, there are still enough acoustic tracks with well written lyrics and Joey’s warm vocals to satisfy me. The tracks that latch on and stick in my head are “Driftwood Doll” and “I Know My Ocean.”  Give those a spin and let them sink in. The album was released yesterday.

You also owe it to yourself to check out Nicknames and Natives by The Antiques. Great album.

MySpace | Better Looking Records

The Traditionist – Sleep Be Told

The Traditionist – Driftwood Doll

The Traditionist – I Know My Ocean

I was first introduced to the music of Neko Case around the time of the release of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood in 2006.  The first adjective that sprung to mind was haunting.  How else can one describe such darkly melodic tracks such as “Margaret Vs Pauline” and “Star Witness” (which starts out with Case crooning, “My true love drowned in a dirty old pan of oil”)?  The album had a kind of Roy Orbison as storyteller feel that extended well past the alt-country label that had been pinned on her, at times revealing traces of folk-punk and indie pop.  And her vocal range was stunning. Enlightened listeners agreed and the album peaked at #4 on the U.S. indie charts.

Neko just released her first studio album in nearly three years under the title Middle Cyclone and the recipe that made Fox Confessor such a success has thankfully not been altered. Collaborators on this record included M. Ward, members of the New Pornographers (Neko’s part-time side project), and Calexico…a nice mix for sure.  Furthermore, all the same musicians that have backed her since Blacklisted reappear including the enchanting backing vocals of Kelly Hogan.  One added benefit is the interesting choice of cover art previously discussed on this site.

The album consists of 15 tracks, assuming that you consider “Marais la nuit” a track, which is actually 31 minutes of crickets recorded on her farm.  The first three tracks are wonderfully vintage Neko Case and easily could have been included on Fox Confessor.  On “This Tornado Loves You”, Case narrates an up-tempo number from the perspective of a tornado that crosses three counties leaving destruction in its wake.  Is she personifying a deathly storm or is it meant to be allegorical?   We don’t know for sure, but you have to appreciate lyrics like:

My love, I am the speed of sound, I left the motherless fatherless,
Their souls dangling from the insides of their mouths.

On the second track, “The Next Time You Say Forever,” she shifts gears slightly and introduces a nice backdrop of strings and mid-temp guitar strums behind lines like, “I’ve lost my taste for home and that’s a dirty fallow feeling.”  Finally on the third track, and quite possibly the best on the album, she introduces her most memorable lyrical hook with “I’m a man, man, man-eater…”  Each song is a story, whether its animals gone berserk, high school hallways or twisters, they’re all unique and interesting.  And all told from the perspective of a ruby-voiced narrator.

This is one of the great indie musicians around today and, given her past catalogue, fans and admirers of her music have every reason to expect the most from a new album with a 3-year gestation period.  But take my word, she doesn’t disappoint.

Neko Case – People Got A Lotta Nerve

Neko Case – People Got A Lotta Nerve

The Veils are back with the release of their third album, Sun Gangs, on the Rough Trade label, which is anticipated to be out on April 7.  The Veils are the product of one Finn Andrews, son of a member of XTC, but the music has few similarities to that epic ‘80s electronica band.  In fact, Andrews’ artistry seems to have been more influenced by the great singer-songwriters, Dylan, Waits and Leonard Cohen.  Graham Sutton, whose works include The British Sea Power, amongst others, produced the album.

The album has been described as desolate, romantic and anguished, all of which seem to be appropriate adjectives.  At first listen, and much like the predecessor album, this sounds more than a little like Nick Cave and it’s not just the occasional religious imagery in the lyrics.  The first track, and in my opinion the best, “Sit Down By The Fire”, is equal parts ballad and anthem and could very well offer up a modern commentary on the state of the world today. “’Sit Down By The Fire’ is about watching something collapse, and it being quite pretty to look at,” offers Andrews.

Other keepers included the title track and “Killed By The Boom”, which bears the closest resemblance to some of Cave’s work.  All three of these songs offer up a rather eclectic mix and lead one to the conclusion that this is indeed an ambitious, if not terribly uplifting, record.  Nonetheless, I found it rather enjoyable.

Website | MySpace | Rough Trade Records

The Veils – Killed By The Boom

There are many nights when a dance party emerges in my kitchen after chicken nuggets and peas. My two year old twins and my 4.5 year old have been known to get down to the Joos, The White Stripes and very recently we had a stunning performance to Crooked Rain.

One disc that always seemed to find its way into mix was Bishop Allen’s The Broken String. Listening to that album just always seems to put a smile on my face. The indie pop displayed on The Broken String was so refreshing that I just never grew tired of it like so many of their contemporaries. Well Bishop Allen’s latest release Grrr… is all that and a bag a chips. Songwriters Justin Rice & Christian Rudder have once again crafted a delightful collection of 13 tunes full of clever lyrics, unique arrangements and top notch production. Chances are taken throughout the disc and Bishop Allen steps up to meet the challenge at every turn.

Tough to pick a favorite on Grrr… as it seems to change on every listen. At first it was “Oklahoma,” an upbeat ditty that makes me want to bounce around the house. Next up is “The Ancient Commonsense of Things” that combines the best lyrics on the disc as well some stunning xylophone work . Currently “The Lion & The Teacup” is the leader in the clubhouse. It has the same Latin flavor that “Castanets” had on The Broken String.

Some people go head over heels for bands that are genre-bending and defining new types of music. But give me a band that consistently writes near-perfect pop tunes any day of the week. Bishop Allen are writing some of the best tunes out there today. Songs that stay with you. Songs that become a part of you.

Website | MySpace | Dead Oceans

Bishop Allen – The Ancient Commonsense of Things

Bishop Allen – Dimmer

The Love Language is an indie pop band from Raleigh, NC whose debut self titled release is the story of one man’s redemption, that of Stu McLamb who really comprised the entirety of the debut album.  McLamb wrote, performed, recorded and mixed the record, which is anticipated to be released in 2009 under the Bladen County Records label.  The all-encompassing nature of his effort and quality of the recording reminds one of that mad scientist Paul Westerberg and some of his solo efforts.

Let me begin by stating, and I mean this in a good way, this is a sloppily engineered lo-fi recording that had to be done on an old 4-track analog in McLamb’s basement.  But, this only enhances the personality of the album and gives the listener a truly intimate and deeply personal glimpse into a period of the musician’s life.  I for one, like being thrust into that position because, frankly the music is damn good.   It’s a little like looking at the artist’s sketchbook or the writer’s journal.

This album traverses a pretty wide expanse of musical territory although I get the sense that McLamb is a fan of late 50s and 60s pop with snippets of everything from old skiffle to early period Beatles to even The Velvet Underground.  The album’s opening track, “Two Rabbits,” is introduced by a saloonish piano that reminded me quite a bit of The Walkmen.  The next track, “Lalita,” lets you peer into McLamb’s personal history as it details his short relationship with a woman that seemed to end badly.  “I had moved in with a girl I thought was the love of my life but felt absolutely miserable,” reflects McLamb, adding “We had unhealthy tendencies like throwing beer bottles at the wall when we fought.”  The lyrics recite some of these bottle pitching episodes.

I have to admit, this was a pleasant surprise as the quality of the music, assuming you can look past the raw recording, is exceptional.  It’s diverse, melodic, mid tempo indie pop.  An example is “Sparxx” which begins with some heavy reverb and breaks into a chord progression and jangly guitar that could’ve come from Lou Reed back in the Factory days.  Although some of the lyrics are throw-aways (“little girls tell the biggest lies” as an example on the third track), you have to love the simple refrain of “just blow me away, I’m like a birthday candle.”

I urge you to give this band a listen. It will be interesting to watch the evolution of McLamb’s career as an artist as it’s very difficult to follow up on a deeply personal debut, but it’s hard to dismiss this man’s talent. He’ll also be running around Austin at SxSW and this album is out now on Bladen County Records.

MySpace | Bladen County Records

The Love Language – Lalita

Other Lives is the name of an audio drama based on the television series Doctor Who.  Not sure if the band from Stillwater, Oklahoma had the BBC show in mind when coming up with names, but I’m guessing they had Radiohead’s Hail To The Thief playing when composing the tracks on their soon to be released debut album on the ATO imprint TBD Records.  By the way, this is the same ATO that released Radiohead’s 2007 classic In Rainbows.  The influence is rather clear in my opinion, although the band also shares a number of similarities with other indie acts like Midlake.

Life can be fortuitous, and so it was that I was listening to the LP on the way downtown late last week, loving it, when I found out that they were opening for Delta Spirit on Valentines Day at the Double Door.  After somehow securing the hall pass from my wife, I caught them with Woody, Shirk and Drinking Buddy (please hold off on the homophobic snickering comments).  I will also refrain from reviewing an awesome, raucous show put on by Delta Spirit to concentrate on Other Lives.

This is one of the better albums to recently come across the wire.  It’s melodic and moody with lyrical depth.  The band is comprised of five members, but lead vocalist Jesse Tabish is the clear driving force.  It combines solid vocals, strong guitar work, piano and, a pleasant surprise, a cellist.  What is it about women behind string instruments that make them so appealing?  Tabish even has a bit of a Thom Yorkian presence, but the dude needs a little work on the beard grooming.  The band is beginning to garner some well-deserved recognition having been singled out on iTunes as one of the rising stars of indie rock.

Check out the following tracks, which are a good representative of the album and exemplify the range of their style.  “E Minor” is an interesting, sprawling track that also seems to have some E Minor 7 in it as well (shameless plug letting you know that I can play guitar). Also, if you get a chance to see these guys with Delta Spirit, or at SxSW, you will not be disappointed.  The album will be released on March 31st and I think it’s is going to be one of the big surprises in 2009.

MySpace | ATO Records

Other Lives – Black Tables

Other Lives – Paper Cities

Cotton Jones is the new project from Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw of Page France and their debut album Paranoid Cocoon sounds almost nothing like their former band. The sound of Cotton Jones abandons any pop sentiment and takes a pensive approach that is apropos for the gloomy happenings out in the real world.

Paranoid Cocoon sounds like a folk album The Doors may have made. It’s pouring down rain in the Bay area and their low-fi sound in the perfect accompaniment. Nau’s baritone voice and McGraw’s sweet sound create splendid harmonies and the lo-fi recording gives the album an otherworldy feel.  Standout tracks include “Up a Tree (Went This Heart I Have),” “Gotta Cheer Up,” “Cotton and Velvet” and “Blood Red Sentimental Blues.” Lo-fi has its place and it works on this album, but after hearing Cotton Jones perform “Cotton and Velvet” on Daytrotter, I’d like to hear crisper recordings to bring out the vocals. I guess that just gives me more reason to track them down at SXSW 2009.

If you are looking for a pick me up, this ain’t the album. But if you’d like to escape into the foggy, damp backwoods and simply get lost for awhile, Cotton Jones is the lantern that lights your path. The debut full-length,  Paranoid Cocoon, is out now on Suicide Squeeze Records.

MySpace | Suicide Squeeze Records

Cotton Jones – Gotta Cheer Up

Cotton Jones – Blood Red Sentimental Blues

Tour dates:

2/24 — Grand Rapids, MI — Johnny’s Cave Café*
3/11 — Cleveland, OH — Beachland Tavern*
3/12 — Chicago, IL — Schubas
3/13 — De Kalb, IL — The House Café*
3/14 — Chicago, IL — Empty Bottle
3/15 — Kansas City, MO — The Record Bar
3/18 — Austin, TX — Red Eyed Fly (SXSW)***
3/17 — Fort Worth, TX — Lola Stockyards*
3/21 — Birmingham, AL — Bottletree
3/22 — Chapel Hill, NC — Local 506
3/23 — Washington, DC — Black Cat Backstage
3/24 — Philadelphia, PA — First Unitarian Church
3/25 — New York, NY — Le Poisson Rouge
3/26 — Brooklyn, NY — Union Hall*
3/27 — Providence, RI — AS220*
3/29 — Hamden, CT — The Space*
3/30 — Baltimore, MD — The Ottobar*
3/31 — Scranton, PA — The Bog*
4/1 — Pittsburgh, PA — Thunderbird Café*
4/2 — Bowling Green, OH — Howard’s Club H
*Cotton Jones only
**Suicide Squeeze Showcase

Tight Knit is Vetiver’s fourth album, but it’s their first appearance in my music collection. San Francisco singer-songwriter Andy Cabic is the soul of the band that plays gently strummed, breezy acoustic songs perfect for a beach day along the Bay. While the slower tracks like “Rolling Sea” and “Through The Front Door”  are the perfect soundtrack for afternoon naps, Vetiver shines in their uptempo sunny pop gems like “Everyday,” “More Of This” and “Another Reason To Go.” The album is subtle, but if you’re patient, you’ll find really good stuff in the nooks and crannies.

Tight Knit is due out February 27th via Sub Pop Records.

Website | MySpace | Sub Pop

Vetiver – Everyday