[fingertipsmusic] This Week's Finds, Oct. 22-28
- From: "Jeremy Schlosberg" <fingertipsmusic@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: fingertipsmusic@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 13:09:41 -0400
*Don't forget you can hear all three songs on the weekly Fingertips podcast,
along with commentary that might or might not be much like the blurbs you
see here. And there's a bonus song each week, too. Podcasts are usually
online by Friday; more info about all that here.*
THIS WEEK'S FINDS <http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/this_weeks_finds.htm>
week of Oct. 22-28
"Axes" - The Low Frequency in
Stereo<http://www.lowfrequencyinstereo.com/mp3/axes.mp3>
To begin with we get a surf guitar over a crisp beat. Another guitar joins
in for a few measures, then leaves. Surf guitar riff re-establishes itself.
Next to enter is a Doors-like organ. At this point I for one would not have
understood that exactly what was missing was a trumpet but what do you know:
the trumpet, appearing at 56 seconds in, is utterly perfect. The whole song,
as a matter of fact, seems to unfold with impeccable charm and precision all
the way through, as each sonic element--the surf guitar, the organ vamp, the
trumpet, and Hanne Andersen's breathy, somewhat distant vocal, when she
finally starts singing (over a minute into the proceedings)--contributes its
own distinct ingredient to the musical stew. The band, from Norway, seems to
call themselves, interchangeably, Low Frequency in Stereo, and The Low
Frequency in Stereo. Not a big distinction but I'm kind of a stickler for
details; I'm going with "The" at this point. Reading about them a bit I see
that they've been tied since their founding in 2000 to the so-called
"post-rock" genre, but I personally have trouble with that label, which
seems an unnecessary way to distinguish fresh sounding rock music
(interesting instrumental combinations and song structures) from previous
sounds, overlooking the fact that rock music at its best is always growing
and stretching. "Axes" is from the CD *The Last Temptation Of...*, scheduled
for release next week on Gigantic Music <http://www.giganticmusic.com/>. The
MP3 is available via the band's site <http://www.lowfrequencyinstereo.com/>.
"Fata Morgana" - Gary Lucas & Gods and
Monsters<http://www.ezarchive.com/paula/AlbumSpace/9GAMQEBIW/Fata+Morgana.mp3>
A fast-picking bluesy, slidey shuffle with an odd sort of homespun
character. Lucas sings of the legendary enchantress with a cartoony sort of
croon on top of the almost old-timey music; the combination of the
rapid-fire acoustic guitarwork, the old-fashioned melody, and Lucas's
vaguely unhinged presence creates an unexpected blast of merrymaking. Lucas
is something of a cult-hero guitarist, with experience ranging all the way
back to playing with Captain Beefheart during the last incarnation of his
Magic Band in the early '80s; among the impressive array of musicians he's
collaborated with are Lou Reed, Patti Smith, John Cale, Bryan Ferry, Matthew
Sweet, John Zorn, Dr. John, Jeff Buckley, and (yes) Leonard Bernstein. Gods
and Monsters is being billed as a sort of New Wave supergroup; certainly its
members are of interest, since Billy Ficca (Television) plays drums and
Ernie Brooks (the Modern Lovers) bass. What's more, Jerry Harrison from
Talking Heads (and previously also the Modern Lovers) had a hand on the
knobs in here (and is playing with the band on the road). And actually
Jonathan Kane (Swans) plays drums on most of the songs although Ficca's here
on "Fata Morgana." The song is from the CD *Coming Clean*, which was
released at the end of September on Mighty Quinn Records
<http://www.mighty-quinn.net/>.
"Circles" - Porter Block <http://www.porterblockmusic.com/mp3/5Circles.mp3>
If "Circles" is as vaguely pastoral, skillfully produced, and giddily
melodic as an old XTC song, this is no accident. Peter Block and Caleb
Sherman, doing business as Porter Block, are the first to report that their
biggest influences are the Beatles and XTC. It's wonderful enough to see a
new band that understands XTC's brilliant but underrated contributions to
rock'n'roll history; it's all the better when the band in question handles
its influences this comfortably. I hear a lot of indie bands that seem to
have this unconscious need to sound exactly like their musical heroes, down
to out-and-out vocal mimickry. I am relieved right away by Porter Block in
that they write XTC-ish songs without having a singer who sounds at all like
Andy Partridge (or Colin Moulding, for that matter). In any case, the chorus
here in particular offers winsome XTC resonances, both musical and lyrical
(including the very Andy Partridge-like word "whirligig"), and if you don't
have any particular knowledge of or interest in XTC (but why not??), it
doesn't matter, as the lilting 3/4 melody stands beautifully on its own two
feet. "Circles" is from the CD *Suburban Sprawl*, scheduled for release next
month by Engine Room Recordings. The MP3 is via the band's
site<http://www.porterblockmusic.com/>
.
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