Quick Hits 8/11/11 (Album Reviews)

The Head And The Heart * The Head And The Heart - Blushing & sincere folk-pop melodies with a dynamic piano focus that will resonate with a less adventurous crowd. Avett Brothers-lite (B)

I'm From Barcelona * Forever Today - Nothing new from the 186-person band, but entertaining nonetheless. Poppy and uplifting, but without ever surprising or progressing. (B-)

Cass McCombs * Wit's End - "The Lonely Doll" may be the most gorgeous song released this year. The rest of the record oozes with similar earnest, but never quite reaches the level of this fantastic track (B+)

Dawes * Nothing Is Wrong - The sophomore effort from these [not from] Minneapolis favorites sounds awfully familiar, probably because they've been playing nearly every song consistently in their recent stops to the Twin Cities. While they're live shows bring out the energy in the tunes, the record showcases the intricate layering of instruments and vocal harmonies we expect from the four-piece. (A-)

The Elected * Bury Me In My Rings - Rilo Kiley, Salute Your Shorts and Boy Meets World alum Blake Sennett returns with another collection of sunny California-centric tracks to keep himself busy as Jenny Lewis is now traversing the globe solo (or with "Johnny"); only a handful live up to the high expectations he set for himself early in his career. (C+)

Frank Turner * England Keep My Bones - Boisterous and raucous, this is the kind of music you'd expect to hear in a London bar as you're waiting for a pint of bitter to be poured (while getting a chair broken over your back). (B+)

Sims * Bad Time Zoo - Signature Doomtree sound without being redundant. P.O.S. broke out two years ago; Dessa ruled last year. 2011 belongs to Sims. (A-)

tUnE-YarDs * w h o k i l l - I'll forgive the ridiculous grammar of frontwoman/namesake Merrill Garbus on account of the album's thunderous rhythms and intoxicating loops. I really didn't expect to like this album, so color me sUrpR15eD. (B+)

Bon Iver * Bon Iver, Bon Iver - Majestic, encapsulating, epic, and all other synonyms of awesome. A flawless album that will dominate Top 10 lists at year end. (A+)

Middle Brother, Dawes & Deer Tick @ First Avenue 3/14/11 (Concert Review)

Photo: Steve Cohen for City Pages

Usually when I'm watching a band (or bands) perform, I'm thinking of how I will write up the show the next day, keeping close tabs on which band played which song, and in what order. Last night, though, I kicked that thinking to the curb and just enjoyed myself and every minute of the evening. From Deer Tick's boisterous opening set (featuring a Matt Vasquez mini-set) to Dawes' expected crowd-pleasing hour (w/ a little Jonny Corndawg for good measure) to the Middle Brother bonanza that closed out the evening, First Avenue had a Saturday night style gig as a week opener. Rather than recap each of the sets, here's a list of why last night was awesome:

• Deer Tick rocked, and John McCauley looked good with a gold tooth (and somehow later, with a matching gold shirt).
• Matt Vasquez joined Deer Tick for a blistering version of Nirvana's "Scentless Apprentice" that featured more guitars than a Thin Lizzy tribute band.
• Wait times between sets were short and sweet, while Ludacris played overhead.
• Dawes' featured plenty of new material, including a slightly more participative version of "Fire Away" then we've heard their last few times here. I wish they would've also done the crowd participation portion of the relentless "How Far We've Come," but we can't have everything.
• Matt Vasquez commented how Dawes' bassist Wylie looks like if Jeff Goldblum sold his soul to the devil for good looks.
• Despite being seated closer to the garage than the crowd, Griffin Goldsmith still manhandled his drums expertly.
• Minneapolis loves Dawes. Dawes loves Minneapolis.
• Jonny Corndawg. Jonny Corndawg's outfit. Jonny Corndawg's beard. Jonny Corndawg's banter. Jonny Corndawg's dance moves. Jonny Corndawg.
• Dawes' go-to closer, "When My Time Comes," is one of the best live songs any band can play. Last night's version, featuring Taylor's Middle Brother brethren (and yes, a little more Jonny Corndawg) was one of the best renditions of any song I've ever heard in concert. Hands down.
• I think John McCauley drank about 16 beers, some of them with no hands, and also expertly spat Budweiser bottle caps into the crowd (before drenching the "lucky" few in front of him with an unexpected shower of malt & hops).
• Matt Vasquez broke a string on his wicked Flying V early in Middle Brother's set. Rather than getting another guitar, he changed it himself, in the spotlight.
• John McCauley played so hard he bled, and wiped it all over his face...and made fun of the Spin Doctors classic "Two Princes."
• The nerdy bassist from Deer Tick has a booming voice; the verse he sang in Middle Brother's last song got one of the biggest pops of the night.

Yeah, so the show was awesome for all of those aforementioned reasons, plus countless others that I'm probably forgetting. Were you there? Post a highlight in the comments section and let me know what I forgot...I was too busy enjoying every last second of my Monday night.

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+