Middle Brother - Middle Brother (Album Review)

MIDDLE BROTHER * MIDDLE BROTHER

(Partisan Records)

Brandishing the title of "supergroup" is enough pressure for even the most seasoned group of musicians, so when the fairly young trio of John J McCauley III (Deer Tick), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) and Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit) announced their debut under the Middle Brother umbrella late last year, they had to know there'd be an instant light cast on them. Encompassing three of the more talented singer-songwriters of the recent modern-Americana boom, Middle Brother's debut is pleasantly effective.

McCauley's signature raspy twang helps kick off the album, giving us the kind of not-so-subtle storytelling experience we've already heard on the individual albums from the respective bandmates. Three songs in, "Thanks For Nothing" grants us the first real taste of Goldsmith's work on the record, a contemplative bummer of a tune that highlights the gorgeous rootsy crooning of the Dawes frontman. The title track (of the album and the band) oozes with a snotty, yet lovable vibe which will undoubtedly be a live highlight when the sum and their parts arrive at First Avenue for a March 14th showcase.

While we've been pitched a Middle Brother album, it's hard to deny that at times, it feels like the first half is the McCauley/Deer Tick show, with the influence of Dawes & Delta Spirit on the back burner. I can't help but think we've been shorted some of Goldsmith's booming choruses and Vasquez's unique arrangements. Vasquez's first noticeable contribution to the record comes 5 songs deep, in the somewhat forgettable "Theater." Luckily for us, this low point vanishes quickly as The Mats' "Portland" is given an interesting and intriguing twist and opens up the second half of the record to be a little more collaborative. "Wilderness" slows things down, as Goldsmith settles into a cozy, introspective balance with the 60s-rock influence of "Me Me Me" that immediately follows. It's hard to tell if "Someday" is an original or a Jay & The Americans cover, but it succeeds either way. "Blood & Guts" is an expansive version of the song originally crafted by the pre-Dawes Simon Dawes, showing Goldsmith's adaptability and progression as a singer-songwriter. The album closes with "Million Dollar Bill," one last attempt to showcase all three of the frontmen at once, which ultimately (and unfortunately) gets a little clunky.

Middle Brother won't get a Monsters of Folk kind of supergroup buzz, and that's probably a good thing. Their debut sounds nothing like one; for what it's worth, these guys could've been playing together for a decade and we wouldn't have heard anything different. Like Dawes' North Hills and Deer Tick's Black Dirt Sessions, the Middle Brother debut will probably be more appreciated after hearing the tracks played live, and that consensus will be reached in two short weeks.

Grade: B+

Smith Westerns @ Triple Rock 2/24/11 (Concert Review)

About halfway through Smith Westerns' brief yet effective set last night at the Triple Rock, frontman Cullen Omori told the mostly full crowd, "we've got a motto on this tour...and it's 'Balls Deep.' So let's go balls deep tonight." Even if he didn't declare the band's motto so overtly, I'm fairly certain the throngs of supporters they had last night would have felt their intention. Throughout 45 minutes and a baker's dozen of songs, the young Chicagoans proved why they seem to be on every blogger's radar these days.

Opening with "Still New," one of the many highlights of their recent release Dye It Blonde, the guitar-heavy group instantly got the young crowd nodding in approval and swaying in appreciation. When I reviewed the record last month, I referenced Jodi Kramer, the uber-hottie from Dazed And Confused. As Smith Westerns blazed through their set, I couldn't help but imagine Omori as the perfect hair stand-in for Jodi's younger brother Mitch. Throughout the evening, he exuded boyish charm in tandem with a natural frontman vibe. The rest of the band? Equally entrancing. Not only did lead guitarist Max Kakacek absolutely shred on his cherry red SG, but he did so while it rested on his shoulder not via guitar strap, but rather by extra-long shoelace (credit to @solace for bringing this to light).

As they tore through song after song, void of gimmicks or cliche, Smith Westerns became likable not just for the music that they create, but also the vibe they set. Still humble and obviously having a blast with their newfound success, the guys seemed taken aback by the credit they've been given. At one point, before bluntly stating [pun intended] that "this is a good song with some dank," Omori said shyly and smilingly, "you guys are a very respectful crowd...thank you for that."

Dye It Blonde was featured heavily throughout the set, with "Imagine Part 3" and the buzz-worthy single "Weekend" serving as standouts. They managed to fit in a few older songs as well, including the fuzzy (not fussy) "Girl In Love," before calling it a night with a quick and meaningful "thank you."

For anyone that got there early enough, openers Unknown Mortal Orchestra were a very pleasant surprise. According to their bassist, whose name I forgot to ask, their debut LP is due out early this June, provided they can find the right label to release it (it was originally scheduled to be released on True Panther Sounds in April, but now that picture is cloudy). Boasting a raucous post-punk sound and what can only be described as guitar clawing, UMO definitely provided a more than worthy starter to Smith Westerns' main course.

Quick Hits 2/21/11 (Album Reviews)

Jessica Lea Mayfield * Tell Me - Dan Auerbach wielded his production wand yet again in this latest melancholic effort by the mature-for-her-age country rock darling. The product we're given is light on intrigue and heavy on questionable heartache. (B-)

The Streets * Computers And Blues - For Mike Skinner's rumored swan song under The Streets moniker, he crafts an album lush with hooks but lacking much of the progressive energy from his excellent early efforts. Maybe it's for the best that he's calling it quits. (B)

Telekinesis * 12 Desperate Straight Lines - Sugary sweet power-pop showing no discernible creativity, yet a ton of fun at the same time. The fact that it was released on Merge should tell you plenty. (B)

DOM * Sun Bronzed Greek Gods - If you're a fan of crap, look no further. (D-)

Yuck - Yuck (Album Review)

YUCK * YUCK

(Fat Possum Records)

Imagine this. The 7:10pm screening of Reality Bites has just concluded, and you & your flannel-clad friends are walking to the nearest pay phone so you can page your brother to pick you up in his Corsica and take you to Denny's, allowing you to discuss in detail the sex appeal of Jen Trynin vs. Juliana Hatfield over pot after pot of black coffee. Got it? Alright, now hold that thought.

It's hard to believe that a band could already be nostalgic about the 90s, but that's exactly Yuck's modus operandi. Their much anticipated debut album draws from the likes of Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub and essentially the entire Tank Girl soundtrack. Our introduction to the simply named band is filled with every sound we loved during the beginning of President Clinton's first term...and it's done without being kitschy, which is as impressive as it is catchy.

Yuck kicks off their first album with "Get Away," a track that wouldn't have been out of place on DGC Rarities V1 (the only volume, mind you). Filled with lush guitars, distorted vocals and the catchiness you'd expect to hear during a later afternoon set at Edgefest, the album begins with a figurative bang. It's a straightforward alt-pop track, and what follows is as no frills as this opener suggests. "Holing Out" & "Georgia" are filled with the perfect amount of fuzz, phaser and feedback you're accustomed to hearing bleed from a beat up Fender Jaguar.

It doesn't stop there, though. "Operation" screeches with purpose. "Sunday" could provide the ideal backdrop to a Rayanne overdose as Angela & Rickie desperately try to turn her life around. "Suicide Policeman" sounds like it influenced Love Spit Love, not the other way around. Song after song bursts with a kind of high school nostalgia. By the time we get to the grinding 7-minute finisher "Rubber," Yuck has nothing left to prove, yet they kick it up a notch, giving us an oozing, escalating epic that could  best be dissected by Matt Pinfield.

Aside from a brief hiccup of purchasing an early Roxette cassette tape, this is the kind of music that pushed me to formulate my own opinions during my initial stages of musical self-discovery. I love everything about this album...and simply put, if you're a fan of Empire Records, OK Soda and Rax, you will, too.

Grade: A+

Bright Eyes - The People's Key (Album Review)

BRIGHT EYES * THE PEOPLE'S KEY

(Saddle Creek)

Love him or hate him, Conor Oberst has been an important rock and/or roll fixture over the course of the past many years. No disrespect to Oberst's Mystic Valley Band or his all-star Monsters of Folk, but these were offshoots. It was about time he got back to the reason many of us fall into the former of the aforementioned sentiments, his influential and unmistakable Bright Eyes.

The People's Key opens with "Firewall," not so much a song but rather a lecture on extraterrestrial life forms and the infinite space that surrounds us all. While I can't shake the fact that the commentator sounds like former Presidential hopeful and Law & Order alum Fred Thompson, the voice actually belongs to Oberst's friend Denny Brewer of the deliciously-named band Refried Ice Cream. Brewer's voice pops up throughout the record, but this 2:20 opening is The People's Key's defining WTF moment. 

That leads straight into the first single, "Shell Games," which gives an obvious nod to 2005's Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, and shows us that we are not experiencing the Conor Oberst of the past half-decade, but rather the adventurous & inventive spirit that we came to love in his early works.  On "Haile Selasse," Oberst slyly declares "I've seen stranger things happen before." This is one of the many times throughout the record where we feel like we're in on an inside joke. Much of The People's Key feels like Conor Oberst is winking at us. It's as if he knows this is the record we've been waiting for the past 6 years.

Where The People's Key shines is also where it sometimes feels too restrained. Oberst has always had a knack for writing melodious, catchy hooks. Those found on several of the tracks on this album begin to pop with intensity, then disappear as quickly as they arrive. Case in point, the pseudo-title track "A Machine Spiritual (In The People's Key)." Oberst's chorus smacks you in the face with delight, then instantly pops you back as it stops before you even knew it began. It sounds like he's unsure of himself, and there's no reason for that.

The People's Key is a return to form, but not a natural one. Although Oberst definitely knows how to please his fan base, it'd be nice to hear him do it with a tad less apprehension. Dude, you can write. You can sing. Now just embrace it.

Grade: B+

Justin Townes Earle @ First Avenue 2/14/11 (Concert Review)

"Ladies & Gentlemen...I'm all hopped up on B-vitamins right now."

That's how Justin Townes Earle greeted the two-thirds full First Avenue crowd who opted to spend their Valentine's Day listening to songs of heartache, misery and addiction. It was an obvious nod to his recent struggles w/ drugs and alcohol, as well as the newfound cold he had been fighting (which anyone who follows his Twitter ramblings already knew). As the chuckles settled, he went right into a raucous rendition of "Move Over Mama," which got much of the eager crowd bouncing in approval.

For anyone that had seen JTE before last night's First Avenue debut, the set was a nice little change of pace. His upbeat numbers, like "South Georgia Sugar Babe" and "Ain't Waitin," were sped up just the right amount, giving off more of a rootsy feel; the kind that Minneapolitans have steadily grown accustomed to thanks to the likes of locals Trampled by Turtles and Pert Near Sandstone (minus the banjo, of course). Josh Hedley, JTE's masterful fiddler, worked the crowd into a frenzy time and time again, laying down fierce solos while Bryn Davies and her standup bass kept the tempo jumping.

On the other hand, his slow songs were taken down to an even more deliberate pace. "Mama's Eyes" and "Christchurch Woman" were gorgeous in their delivery and even more beautiful in their intent, absolutely mesmerizing the entire First Avenue floor. Before getting into the appropriately named "Slippin' and Slidin," JTE delved into his addictive past [present?] even deeper. A few unwelcome "woos" came from the steadily more-intoxicated onlookers as JTE declared his love for cocaine and getting high, not the kind of response one would want to give a budding talent that has battled significant chemical dependency in the very recent future. It really makes one hope that he doesn't dive into his demons again, as JTE is on the cusp of what could be a very promising career.

As the night came to a close, we were treated to a luscious new track from JTE's forthcoming album to be recorded this fall and a nice stripped-down version of "Harlem River Blues." When one anxious member of the crowd yelled "Can't Hardly Wait!" (in reference to JTE's brilliant Replacements cover), he responded with "Do you really think I'm not going to play that here?" The encore began with a smart & lively take on Springsteen's "Racing in the Street," and closed with, what else but that aforementioned 'Mats classic.

The 90+ minute set was often amusing, sometimes sad and always enjoyable. JTE shined where you'd expect and left himself vulnerable where you wouldn't. While the setting and context was lacking in stereotypical Valentine's Day romance, only the coldest soul would have left not feeling their heartstrings tugged in some direction.

Quick Hits 2/11/11 (Album Reviews)

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead * Tao Of The Dead - An unnecessary, uninspired album from a band that has been on a steady decline over the past half-decade. (C-)

PJ Harvey * Let England Shake - A grippingly austere tour of Polly Jean's homeland, told through intoxicating & shadowy melodies, but brought down by lyrics that get repetitive halfway through. (B)

James Blake * James Blake - Despite a brilliant take on Feist's "Limit to Your Love," the much buzzed about dubstepper's debut full-length fails to live up to the hype, often times sounding like Antony Hegarty drowning in a shallow pool of gelatin. (B-)

CUT COPY * Zonoscope - A punchy, bouncy, in-your-face dance rock extravaganza that only fun-haters would hate. (B+)

Akron/Family - S/T II: The Cosmic Birth & Journey of Shinju TNT (Album Review)

AKRON/FAMILY * AKRON/FAMILY II: THE COSMIC BIRTH & JOURNEY OF SHINJU TNT

(Dead Oceans)

Everyone likes a good back story, and the one Akron/Family concocted for their latest LP is nothing short of head-scratching. Written next to an active Japanese volcano and recorded in an abandoned train station in Detroit (your call on which is more dangerous), the albums fumes with the unpredictability of lava and vigor of Joe Louis....and the mindset of a working Peter Sellers.

The album begins with the spastic "Silly Bears," starting as a tribal chant giving way to what can best be described as screeching patriotic guitar, into vocals that a 6 year old could write, but not execute nearly as well. "Island" follows as a hypothetical 180; it's a buttery little tune that you and your closest friends would listen to as the last piece of kindling smolders in an early Spring bonfire. The curiously named "A AAA O WAY" isn't all that necessary, though. It serves as a transition track, but way to early in an album that is just coming into its own.

"So It Goes" and "Another Sky" are raucous standout moments which you know will obliterate your ears when they're played live. "Say What You Want" encompasses the best parts of the album into a radio-friendly 3:28. Soothing, introspective vocals fade as you're hit in the face with blistering guitar work that speeds into some fist-pumping back-and-forth chants. If there were ever time for more gang vocals, it would be here. Akron/Family give us an ideal wind-down to an album that entices throughout."Canopy" evokes Flaming Lips at their height, Japanese influence and all, while "Creator" plays like your head hitting a brand new feather pillow in super slow motion.

This album is all over the place, but complete in its intent and delivery. Cocky at times? Sure. Subtle at others? Of course. It stands apart because of its ability to be progressive without feeling like you're listening to the band trying to evolve. They're already miles ahead of where we could imagine.

Grade: A

Esben And The Witch - Violet Cries (Album Review)

ESBEN AND THE WITCH * VIOLET CRIES

(Matador)

There was this time in high school where I wanted to wear black nail polish and leather cuffs. I listened to a ton of Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the time, though, so it just didn't work. Current high-schoolers take note: if you've got true goth ambition and don't want to look like a sparkly Mormon vampire (credit to @AlecEiffel631), look no further than Brighton's Esben And The Witch for motivation.

Violet Cries, the debut album from the British trio, is gorgeous in its dark tranquility. It's filled with a layered complexity that's all centered around Rachel Davies' echoed chant. Take the first track, "Argy ria," for example. On the outside, it could be maligned as a schlock horror film soundtrack. Listened to closely, though, all of its parts are so intricate and delicately assembled that your expectations for the  rest of the record instantly skyrocket. "Marching Song" and "Chorea" honor these desires. Wanna scare the crap out of your kids? Play "Light Streams" right before they go to bed and you'll be sure to have them clenching their blankets as if the Boogieman's bigger brother is peering through their window. Despite their [never overly popular] gothic focus, Esben And The Witch display the same kind of accessibility that made oh-so-many people fall in love with The xx last year. A month-long US tour (that sadly doesn't currently include a Minneapolis date) should boost their credibility even further.

Now Violet Cries isn't an album you can just throw on at any time. It's not going to be your Summer BBQ soundtrack nor will it be suitable for a Sunday afternoon drive with your parents. It succeeds where it needs to, though. It gives us a dark & agonizing vibe that is not one bit forced; one that makes us pine for a quiet evening listen over a glass of Malbec...with the severed heads of various woodland creatures scattered throughout the living room.

Grade: A-

Quick Hits 2/2/11 (Album Reviews)

Oh No Oh My * People Problems - I'm pretty sure the Austin quartet lost all creativity when they dropped the exclamation points from their name. The 5 year wait after their superb debut was in no way worth it for this lazy, monotonous, overproduced dump. (D)

Apex Manor * The Year of Magical Drinking - This is what you'd expect from a Merge release. Punchy guitars, infectious hooks and the best album title of the year (so far) make this debut from former Broken West frontman Ross Flournoy a splendid, albeit far from groundbreaking listen. (B+)


Deerhoof * Deerhoof vs. Evil - I've resigned to the fact that I just don't get Deerhoof. I honestly can't see myself wanting to listen to this album ever again. Well, maybe if I was given a choice between this and the new Cage the Elephant. (C)

Fujiya & Miyagi * Ventriloquizzing - Droning electro beats which would be an immediate soundtrack choice for a reboot of the Crow franchise, if it weren't for the fact that this entire album is inspired by ventriloquism (cue the wacko from TLC's My Strange Addiction). (C+)