[fingertipsmusic] This Week's Finds: Oct. 14-20

From: "Jeremy Schlosberg" <fingertipsmusic@xxxxxxxxx>
To: fingertipsmusic@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:50:24 -0400
 THIS WEEK'S FINDS <http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/this_weeks_finds.htm>
Oct. 14-20


The latest Fingertips Contest is offering as a grand prize the new 3CD Bob
Dylan compilation, entitled, simply enough, *Dylan*. Details
here<http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/contests.htm>.
The record company is also releasing a single-disc version of this; three of
those are available to three runners-up. Deadline for entry is Tuesday
October 30. And hey, whether you're a contest entering sort of person or
not, if you happen to be a Dylan person, or perhaps would like to be, be
sure to check out the
iMix<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=266465102>I've
created featuring 15 Bob Dylan songs that have not once been collected
on any of the many different greatest hits and best of compilations that his
record label has seen fit to release over the years.

Apologies by the way for the late email, gang....


"Make a Plan" - Saturday Looks Good to
Me<http://www.krecs.com/media/newmusic/01-Session1Track4.mp3>
Deftly built with riffs and sounds and cheery vocals, "Make a Plan" is
infused with a charming sort of handmade vibe, like something modeled
unexpectedly yet expertly with masking tape and cardboard. The introduction
is an immediate example of the odd but sturdy construction I'm talking
about--first we get the buoyant acoustic strum, straight out of a Harry
Belafonte record or some such thing, then a thin slice of vague and fuzzy
electric guitar, which together are capped by a low, fat, echoey line of
four descending notes finished off with that comic book-y flanging. The net
effect is simultaneously solid and odd. Then comes the kind of kooky melody,
a long downward trip of doubled notes, sung with unhurried flair by SLGTM
multi-instrumentalist and mastermind Fred Thomas. And how much like Ray
Davies is Thomas sounding here? A lot, says me, especially for a guy from
Detroit, and more especially when the song hits full Kinks mode during the
bridge, from 2:05 through 2:30. I like how a piano suddenly appears at this
point too, as if someone had just rolled one into the room so, okay, might
as well play it. Saturday Looks Good to Me is an ensemble with a revolving
lineup; Thomas has apparently worked with more than 75 people towards the
end of putting SLGTM records together since 2000. "Make a Plan" is from the
outfit's fourth full-length CD, *Fill Up the Room*, slated for release next
week on K Records <http://www.krecs.com/>. The MP3 is courtesy of K.

"Volcano" - Hot Springs<http://www.hot-springs.ca/mp3s-volcano/Headrush.mp3>
Grinding, spunky rock'n'roll from yet another intriguing band from Montreal.
This quartet's distinctive sound is immediately dominated by the throaty,
quavery voice of singer/guitarist Giselle Webber, who is in full command of
what she's doing. After studying the voices of classic jazz singers, Webber
found a new way to use hers. "You can contort and find these extra pockets
of air in your sinuses and deep down in your gut," she told a Montreal
newspaper a couple of years ago, "and eventually I learned that you can
sculpt your voice in these crazy ways by fucking up sound inside your
throat. That's my favorite way to sing." To be honest, I can't claim that
it's my favorite voice to listen to, but the way Webber interacts with this
stop-start-y, bottom-heavy music does have a sneaky appeal, combining a
comfortable classic-rock drive with something fiercer and untamed. I like
the chorus in particular, with its mixture of rushed triplets and
dragged-out quarter notes, skipped drumbeats, and jumbled-together words
(which are hard to decipher; the first line is "These glasses have been
empty for too damn long"). Often I praise lyrics that scan impeccably with
the music but for the sake of vehemence there is room in rock for songs in
which the drive of the music requires the words to bend to its will. This
kind of thing, I think, only works when the singer has a bit of "force of
nature" about him or her; from what I'm hearing, I'd say Webber qualifies.
"Headrush" is from the debut Hot Springs CD, *Volcano* (see? force of
nature), released last month, in Canada, by the band's Quire Records
imprint, via the big label DKD. The MP3 is found on the band's
site<http://www.hot-springs.ca/>
.

"See These Bones" - Nada
Surf<http://barsukmusic.blaireau.net/NadaSurf_SeeTheseBones.mp3>
If this song sounds like a sharp, pristine relic from some disconcertingly
long-ago day when songs were songs and bands were bands, one good reason for
this is that Nada Surf has been around pretty much *since* those days--this
Brooklyn-based trio formed back in 1992. Or, as they note on their MySpace
page, "Nada Surf has been a band 10 years longer than most of their living
peers have been out of a car seat." Straightforward and memorable, "See
These Bones" is given an assist out of the gate by a good opening
line--"Everyone's right and no one is sorry/That's the start and the end of
the story"--that in a nutshell describes the sociopolitical impasse in which
we find ourselves. The heart of this one is clearly the glowing chorus,
featuring one of those classic-sounding, power-pop-affiliated melodies that
seems clearly to recall some other song or two (or five) and yet eludes
specific identification. The lovely, pining voice of Matthew Caws is, as
ever, the ideal vehicle for the soaring bittersweetness on display. "See
These Bones" is a way-early peak at the band's next CD, which will be called
*Lucky* and is not scheduled for release on Barsuk
Records<http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/siteindex.htm#Barsuk>until
February '08. The MP3 is via
Barsuk <http://www.barsuk.com/>.


 *Three great new free and legal songs for your iPod every week. Think the
service is worthy of support? Click
here<http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/pay/T2MFZZF59DLWTH/102-0776598-3470526>and
make a modest contribution, courtesy of Amazon. Donations of $10 and
above are eligible for Prize
Closet<http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/prizecloset.htm>goodies.


*
** SPONSORED ANNOUNCEMENT **

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is now accepting entries for
the 2007 competition. $150,000 in prizes including $25,000 cash. Judges for
2007 include: Tom Waits, Robert Smith (The Cure), Ray Davies (The Kinks),
and seven record label presidents from major and independent record labels.
For entry information and a complete list of judges please visit -
http://www.songwritingcompetition.com.<http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/>


Interested in sponsoring an announcement in the Fingertips email? Drop a
line <http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/contact.htm>; we'll talk.

* * * * * * *

To unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time, simply send an email with
the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line to
fingertipsmusic-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*
*
[fingertipsmusic] This Week's Finds: Oct. 14-20

Other related posts:
