[fingertipsmusic] This Week's Finds: January 19 (Ed Vallance, The Zolas, Imperial Teen)

From: Jeremy Schlosberg <fingertipsmusic@xxxxxxxxx>
To: fingertipsmusic@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:52:38 -0500

*THIS WEEK'S FINDS <http://www.fingertipsmusic.com>*
*January 19*

[image: Ed
Vallance]<http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/vallance.jpg>
“CRYSTALLINE” – ED
VALLANCE<http://www.riotactmedia.com/mp3/01%20Crystalline%20MV7.mp3>

I love the effortless ones—the songs that just lay themselves out there and
do their thing, so securely and easily that there’s almost nothing to talk
about. “Crystalline” is one of those.

Okay, but I’ll talk a little.

A lot of the power here comes, I think, from the delayed melody. In both
the verse and the chorus, the melodic line begins after two beats go by. In
the verse, this allows the scene to be set by a weighty, unhurried guitar
chord, even as the rhythmic backbone of the song remains fleet and itchy.
So there’s this built-in juxtaposition here between the purposeful rhythm
and the thoughtful melody. In the chorus, the melodic delay is augmented by
an instrumental countermelody (first heard at 0:54) that gives the song a
subtle grandeur. And yet Vallance at the same time seems to be playing with
some vocal distortion here, which lends an edge to the sound. In this case
the juxtaposition becomes its own potent amalgam: edgy grandeur.

Vallance was born in London and lives and works now in Brooklyn.
“Crystalline” is the lead track from his second album, *Volcano*, which
arrives next month on Proof Records.

[image: The Zolas]<http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/zolas.jpg>
“CULTURED MAN” – THE
ZOLAS<http://www.magnetmagazine.com/audio/CulturedMan.mp3>

As album releases slow down in late December and early January, I am at the
beginning of each year given a bit of an opportunity to go back and make
sure I didn’t miss anything worthwhile in the general hubbub of the holiday
season.

So here’s one that’s been hanging around a while and finally nudged its way
into my heart. More an adventure than a song, “Cultured Man” is melodic and
easy to listen to but is at the same time an intriguingly complicated
composition. Rather than offering up verses and a chorus, the song presents
a complex series of different, seamlessly integrated segments. One section
does appear to function, musically, as a chorus (first heard at 0:58, with
the lyrics “Just to impress you”), but even that one arrives with different
words the next time around. In addition to the melodically distinct
segments, the song takes us through changes in tempo and dynamics, as well
as three different instrumental breaks. All in just under five minutes.

What holds it all together, for me, is singer/guitarist Zachary Gray’s
distinctive baritone. He sounds refreshingly like a grown-up, up front and
without pretense, shedding inadvertent light on the muddy or whiny or
grandiose voices that slightly overpopulate the 21st-century rock’n'roll
scene.

“Cultured Man” first surfaced back in October, as half of a 7-inch split
single recorded with the Liptonians. Gray and keyboardist Tom Dobrzanski
are the core of the band, although additional players support them on
stage. To date the Zolas have released one album—2009′s *Tic Toc Tic*, onLight
Organ Records <http://www.lightorganrecords.com/>, which generally employed
a more piano-focused sound than you’ll hear here. A new record is being
wrapped up this month and could be released by March. MP3 via Magnet
Magazine <http://www.magnetmagazine.com/>.

[image: Imperial
Teen]<http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/imperialteen.jpg>
“RUNAWAY” – IMPERIAL
TEEN<http://www.digitalwell.washington.edu/dw/1/51/b9/b9307a9f-6e67-42e5-b1c1-4ed37ac1ad7e.MP3>

Perky and concise, “Runaway” has an old-school feel about it, which I guess
is not surprising, since Imperial Teen is one of those rare indie bands
that has been around long enough to be legitimately old-school itself.
Founded in San Francisco in 1994 by Roddy Bottum, then of the band Faith No
More, this boy/girl, four-person side-project has now lasted longer than
Faith No More did. Remember that whenever you try to predict the future.

“Runaway” is a simple song with vintage-sounding keyboards (Supertramp,
anyone?), ELO-esque vocals and such a firm bounce that I can clearly
imagine a throng of people on a dance floor (old-school-style, of course)
all shouting along with the “Go in! Go out!” part. With arm gestures. Which
I will leave to your imagination. The production here is at once big and
contained—well put together, with a bright sound, but not bombastic. The
melody is basic in a way that recalls children’s songs, but then there’s
that unrelenting drumbeat that kind of opposes that impression. Pay
attention, by the way, to the one time the drummer opens it up just a tiny
bit, during the short instrumental break at 2:47: it feels like a
mini-revelation. This also happens to be the first time we can hear the
guitar on its own. A pithy moment, but to me it seals the song.

Albums have been intermittent for Imperial Teen over the years; *Feel The
Sound*, coming out at the end of the month on Merge
Records<http://www.mergerecords.com/>,
is just the band’s fifth. “Runaway” is the lead track. MP3 via
KEXP<http://blog.kexp.org/>
.

* * * * * * *

"All you toy soldiers and scaremongers
Are you living in this world? Sometimes I wonder..."

* * * * * * *

*Become a fan of
Fingertips<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fingertips/38130844046> on
Facebook**
Follow Fingertips on Twitter <https://twitter.com/#%21/fingertipsmusic>*

* * * * * * *

To unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time, simply send an email
with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line to
fingertipsmusic-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx You may then have to reply to the
automated confirmation you receive to complete the process.

[fingertipsmusic] This Week's Finds: January 19 (Ed Vallance, The Zolas, Imperial Teen)

Other related posts: