EVANGENITALS-Evangenitals

Posted on July 15th, 2010 by ekko

Okay, so the band name “Evangenitals” is like, probably one of the worst I’ve ever heard.  Fortunately, the band is a lot better than their name.  And forgive them their artiness–the band consists of a playwright/director, who also calls herself a reverend (Juli Crockett); an opera/jazz singer (Lisa Dee); and instruments that range from the esoteric (accordian) to the unusual (fiddle) to the comparably mundane (guitar, bass and drums).  Mix these seemingly clashing ingredients together, and you get a pretty cool collection of Southern indie pop that will appeal to Indigo Girls and Shawn Colvin fans, without offending their boyfriends.  Yeah, it’s liberal-arts hippie-bracelet freak folk, but it’s also interesting and emphatically not preachy.  It’s tough to find this kind of combination.  Next time they’re in town, I’m taking that blonde who lives in the flat across the hall.  The one with the dog who shops at Fresh Fields and always has a Starbucks cup cradled dangerously in the crook of her elbow.  I think I’m pretty much guaranteed to get laid.

I dare you to listen to Work Song.  Go ahead.  If it’s not stuck in your head for days, you’re a better man than I am.

Work Song

Hello

Tags: indie folk

PERNICE BROTHERS-Goodbye, Killer

Posted on June 19th, 2010 by ekko

First of all, let’s get this straight: The Pernice Brothers really are brothers.  Joe and Bob, along with bandmates James Walbourne and Ric Menck and some special guests, already have six albums behind them and here comes number seven. They were originally discovered by Sub Pop but something happened and the band dropped away for three years before returning on Ashmont Records where they have stayed ever since.  This record is a steady, honest collection of folky Americana that may remind you of old Rolling Stones, without the edge–or maybe Kris Kristofferson.

I liked this album a lot more than some of their more recent work–in fact, I’d say it’s easily their best record since their first.  It’s a lot like their first, in fact, in that it’s less polished than their later work. Sometimes their lyrics border on the insipid (comparing a woman to the morning light, e.g.), but much more often the music is exactly the kind of thing you’d want to take a date to go hear on a Friday night.  It’s not going to challenge you, it’s going to set a mood: Romantic, gentle, tender music.  And God knows there are times when tender music is a must.

Jacequeline Susann

Tags: Americana, indie folk

MATT POND PA-The Dark Leaves

Posted on May 18th, 2010 by ekko

It’s been three years since Matt Pond PA released new studio material, and that’s too long.  Or maybe it’s just the right amount of time, because this is the first record that Pond et al. have put out that I’ve enjoyed end to end.  The songs are smooth, somewhat dark indie rock tunes, that don’t stray far from Pond’s past work but that feel somehow better crafted.  The material feels earthier—more grounded and organic—than the band’s past work, which could sometimes border on being sterile.  It’s not that it is a deep record, just that it is better crafted and more imaginative than I expected.  Plus, it clocks in at under 45 minutes, and the time whips by.  It’s well-paced, structured, and easy to lose yourself in this album.  Perfect for awkward lovers wrapped in painful romance.  Y’know, like Michael Cera or something like that.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Running Wild

Tags: indie folk

MENHIRS OF ER GRAH-Billy Cross’ Daughter

Posted on April 7th, 2010 by ekko

“Billy Cross’ Daughter,” the new release by Menhirs of Er Grah sat in my “to be reviewed?” file for a few weeks, teetering on the edge.  When I have a free moment, you see, I skim through that file, on random, and no single song off of this record grabbed me enough to make me move it to the “review” file.  But at the same time, every song made me want to find the time to sit down and listen to the whole album, straight through. This weekend, I finally did.  And I’m very grateful.

Folk singer/songwriter Thom Carter apparently has a following already, and this is his third record under the name Menhirs of Er Grah (named after the single largest block of stone carved by Neolithic man).  From what I’ve read by fans and critics, this is being hailed as his best release.  I don’t know about that, as this is the first I’ve ever heard, but I can say that this a well-crafted album that is too delicate to be digested piecemeal.  Like a complex Hall and Oates at times, or a more melodic Will Oldham, the record gets better and deeper with each listen.  It’s gone from being on my fence as a “thanks but no thanks” to being a candidate for best record of the year.

Get it for cheap at Bandcamp!

Do What You Want

Circle Me With Love

Tags: indie folk

ALDER-A Constant Drift in My Step (EP)

Posted on March 20th, 2010 by ekko

It’s hard to find out much about David Bowick (who apparently is Alder).  His e-mail simply provided a link to a download of his new EP, “A constant Drift In My Step,” and his website doesn’t seem to work on any of my browsers.  But maybe that’s for the best: The music can speak for itself.  It’s a collection of five acoustic guitar songs with light vocals on echo.  Very gentle, very easy, very good.

Breathless

Tags: indie folk

DANNY AND THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD-Streets of Our Time

Posted on February 8th, 2010 by ekko

“Henry the Van’ is the first cut on Australian Danny George Wilson’s latest record.  It’s a funeral for a friend, who is a car.  “Guess we could try to fix you up . . . Maybe go for an easy roll once in a blue sky . . .”  The concept may be funny, but it’s a lot more touching than most songs about actual people who’ve died.  This is a testament to Wilson’s skill, imagination, compassion, and his ability to communicate.

You may remember Danny George as the singer-guitarist of Grand Drive, a much-loved Americana group, but his solo venture is far, far more interesting.  And make no mistake: This is a Danny George Wilson production.  Despite the harmonies and quality musicianship, Danny and the Champions of the World are really a solo venture.  Wilson most closely mirrors Neil Young’s country rock phrasing, and sometimes the similarity is almost uncanny, but his voice is unique: It’s cheery and optimistic, even when singing about getting old and being sad, and it’s romantically simple.  The lyrics are direct and uncomplicated, but ring true, powerfully: “I wanna feel your hand in my hand tonight . . . Just trying to get back to what we used to be/Just trying to get back to something to believe/Looking down at these restless feet.”

If this album doesn’t make you feel something, maybe you’re dead inside.

And Juno’s got it for thirteen bucks.

Henry the Van (the second best song about a van I’ve ever heard.  The first is “Chevy Van” by Sammy Johns, available on the Rhino “Sounds of the ’70s” collection.)

Tags: indie folk, Indie rock

BETHANY LARSON-Sticks and Stones

Posted on December 24th, 2009 by ekko

Bethany Larson is at her best acoustic.  Her voice carries a whimsical, romantic ache that bounces wonderfully against the guitar strings, as she voices simple lyrics about kissing on the mouth . . . It was “Why Don’t You Come Over,” the first song on her self-published release, that sold me on this artist.  I first heard it on the train, looking at the faces of strangers, and felt suddenly a part of all of them.

Larson’s voice is sweet and clear, even if it isn’t particularly distinctive, but she really wins over the listener with her songcraft.  Stripped down with a verse-chorus-verse structure, the songs allow for the emotion and sentiment to occupy all of the earspace.  The kind of songs you want to listen to live in a coffeehouse.

It’s not like me to review this type of album—it’s not poppy, there’s no hooks, it’s honest and clean and . . . Nice.  Yes, that’s it.  Nice, emotionally honest music that doesn’t try to make you feel sad or angry or even like dancing.  It’s just about love.  It’s not insipid, but it is sweet.  It’s not cloying, but it will make you feel warm and cozy.  And I bet if you play it for your woman, you’ll get some tonight.

Why Don’t You Come Over?

But I Love Him

BONUS FOLKIEPOP COVERS!

Sister Goldenhair (America)-Counting Crows

The Same Old Song (The Four Tops Cover)-Iron And Wine

Tags: Covers, indie folk, Indie Pop