Review: SPC ECO “Big Fat World EP”

While I was away on vacation, SPC ECO was busy releasing their latest
collection of music, the Big Fat World EP.  I had no clue they were planning to put out new music, so this was a pleasant surprise.  They've already released two other EPs plus a full-length album, and another EP just adds to what they've been doing in the past few years.  Overall, it's a very strong EP with some great new additions to their repertoire. 

Opening song "Gone" has been heard before via YouTube, and it's a good way to start things off.  It's somewhat industrial, darker than many of their other songs.  The guitars are a little more threatening, the bass a little deeper, and Rose's vocals a bit more ominous.  Next comes "Silo Too High," which brings us back to the spacey, dreamy sound that SPC ECO does so well.  As always, Rose Berlin's voice carries us through the song.  The beat hammers along slowly, and Rose drenches us in beauty.

Song three is the title track, "Big Fat World," possibly one of their best songs yet.  Unlike many other songs, Rose's vocals aren't hidden behind effects and echoes.  Her voice is loud and clear, almost too much so.  I really enjoy the melody here.  The verses set us up for the chorus, when Rose really soars.  Also great is the drumming, which is a bit livelier than it usually is for this band.

"Forever Now" isn't the most memorable track on the album, but it does feature some soft, sweet vocals by Rose.  By now, you should be realizing that Rose's voice is a key component of the SPC ECO sound.  This is a peaceful song, something you can really relax to.

"Here I Am" is another killer track.  It's all about the chorus, which is beautiful musically and lyrically.  The last song, "Feels Like Flying," is another song that's up there with their best.  It's a 7 minute epic with absolutely gorgeous vocals.  The bass playing by Dean Garcia is excellent too.  The whole EP leads up to this, and it doesn't disappoint.  Hearing it will make you feel like flying, too.

It's so nice to get some new songs from a band I've only recently discovered and fallen in love with.  This EP is quite excellent, and has some very strong material.  I know "Feels Like Flying" is going to be a popular concert favorite.  This band makes beautiful music, and I can't wait until the next EP, single or LP.

You can get the Big Fat World EP at SPC ECO's Bandcamp page for the big fat price of free right now.  Go download and listen!  It's worth your time.         

Book Review: Keith Richards “Life”

Yesterday I finished reading Life, the simple-titled autobiography of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Why not? It sounded like an interesting read, and if there’s one guy whose memoirs you want to read, it’s Keith.
 
I really enjoyed it! You get a lot of insights into Keith’s personality. Basically, he’s just a bloke from Dartford who loves music and loves making music. He’s funny, he’s smart, he’s more sensitive than you’d think. He’s not such a bad guy, really. There are many other musicians who had the same or worse misadventures as Keith, so why is Keith the bad boy? Maybe it’s image.
 
While reading this book, it becomes clear that Keith is really a student of music and guitar playing in particular. He is a musical sponge, always soaking up other sounds and playing and recording with whoever wants to join in. He spends hours and hours in the studio perfecting his sound. What struck me is not only how much fun Keith has creating music, but how much work he really puts into it. The early days of the Stones were spent holed up in a flat listening to every detail of old blues records. Keith and friends would eat, sleep and drink the blues during those formative years. Touring, too, takes a lot out of Keith. That's the job part of the job, even though he enjoys it. He's a road warrior, that's for sure.

Of course, one thing everyone reading this book wants to know about is what Mick Jagger is like. Keith definitely has mixed emotions about his band mate. They are buddies and collaborators, but there is also a deeper pain that separates them from time to time. You get the sense that Keith misses the old days when Mick was just Mick and not a superstar with a superstar ego. Above all, you get the sense that Keith is real heart, soul, guts and brain of the Rolling Stones. Without Keith, there is no Rolling Stones.

One thing I particularly liked about this book is how Keith invited people he knew to contribute to it. As a result, it seems like a party, a gathering, rather than one man's recollections. It's a different approach, and I would expect nothing less from Keith Richards. The writing is superb. Don't forget, this is a man who wrote or co-wrote some of rock's greatest songs. His writing style is playful, engaging and passionate. Keith wants to enlighten and entertain you just as he does on a Stones album.
 
No matter who you are or what you think of the Stones, you'll have a new respect for Keith Richards after reading his Life, along with an amazement at all he has survived. He's survived because he's one tough son of a gun.

Mini Review: Pete Yorn "Nightcrawler"

Posted to my main blog on August 19, 2007


Artist: Pete Yorn
Album Title: Nightcrawler
Genre: Rock
2006
Columbia Records

When did I buy it?: I bought it in February of 2007. I found it in the used bin, which was awesome because I was going to buy it for full price.

Why did I buy it?: I had heard some of the songs on it and I thought they were good. When I found out “Ice Age” was on it, that kind of sealed the decision. I wasn’t disappointed, unlike my listen to Pete’s second album Day I Forgot.

What are the best songs?: Most of the songs on this album are good, in my opinion. It’s so hard to choose the best. “Vampyre” starts things off darkly and intensely, with some great echoed vocals. “For Us” and “Undercover” are two great single-worthy songs. “For Us,” in particular, sounds like nothing else in the Pete Yorn catalog. “Undercover” has a killer riff that will get stuck in your head for hours, and Pete’s vocals are just gorgeous.

“The Man” is a country-tinged song with some fine singing by Pete and special guest Natalie Maines of Dixie Chicks. Their harmonies really make the song special, and the melody is fine as can be. “Maybe I’m Right” features a very satisfying chorus, made more powerful by some awesome drumming. The choruses on this album are some of Pete’s best yet. “Alive” is one of Pete’s most pop-oriented songs. It’s a piece of sunshine and goes down smooth as water.

“Ice Age” is the most beautiful thing Pete Yorn has ever created. It’s a gentle, tender, soft, romantic rock ballad. Pete’s voice on this song is gorgeous and delicious, allowing him to show his softer side on an album full of rock. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets played at many proms in the next few years.

Any bad stuff?: Most of the songs on this album are at the very least decent, but I can mention a few low points. “Same Thing” has some good Yorn singing, but not much more than that. It’s slow and fairly un-melodic. “Georgie Boy” is a weird electronic experiment, not a typical Pete song at all. It is capable of being liked, but it just doesn’t seem to fit with the other songs.

“Bandstand In The Sky” is a very poor way to end the album. It’s not a very memorable song. On any other album, it might be considered good, but not compared to stuff like “Undercover” and “Maybe I’m Right.”

Overall thoughts: After Day I Forgot, I was a bit cautious about Pete Yorn’s output. I was very happy to discover that my caution about the third album was unnecessary. In fact, I may go so far as to say this is the best of his albums to date. It’s a lot more balanced than Musicforthemorningafter and keeps that album’s mix of folky sounds and hard rock. The melodies are stronger than ever, and the hooks are actually there.

The best thing about this album is that it’s so hard to decide the best song on it. There are so many highlights that nearly half of the songs are candidates for The Best Song. A good handful of these songs should be on Pete Yorn’s greatest hits, whenever that comes about.

After hearing this album, I’m very excited to hear what Pete Yorn will do next. He’s finished with the “day in music” concept batch of albums, so now he’ll be free to do whatever he feels like doing. If he keeps cranking out albums like Nightcrawler, he could become one of this generation’s best musicians.

E.P. Review: My Bloody Valentine “You Made Me Realise”

We all have them. The hard-to-find gems we wish we had, but just can’t afford. The albums we have been searching for but cannot find.  The Holy Grail.  For the past year, my Holy Grail was the 1988 Creation Records E.P. You Made Me Realise by Shoegaze/noisepop/alternative band My Bloody Valentine.  We all know and love Loveless, but their earlier E.P. was just as strong and satisfying.  I was curious about it, so I listened online (Grooveshark, I think) and was blown away by the quality of the five songs.  I knew this was something I needed to buy eventually, and the fact that it’s out-of-print and rare made it even more attractive.

Prices for this E.P. are through the roof online.  Currently on Amazon, you can find used copies for over $100.  For five songs!  It’s usually just as expensive on Ebay, and bidding wars can get kind of crazy for it.  A few weeks ago, I decided to take a chance on a new listing for it, and ended up being the winner!  Finally, the oh-so-difficult-to-acquire MBV E.P. would be mine!

Now, on to the music itself.  The title track, and most famous on this E.P., is “You Made Me Realise.”  This song was a landmark moment in My Bloody Valentine history.  The guitars got meaner and the vocals became sweeter.  That mix of mean and sweet would define the template of the rest of MBV’s rather short career.  For most of the song, nothing too revolutionary happens.  No weird guitar experiments, just heavily distorted electric and bass guitars and relentless drumming.  The solo section, though, is a different story.  Suddenly the song breaks down into an ever-louder swirl of noise and feedback.  This section was the inspiration for the “Sonic Holocaust” that MBV performs at nearly every live gig during this very song.  Whether you’ve experienced it or not, this version of the song shows you where it came from.

”Slow<’ as the title suggests, slows things down without letting go of the intensity.  In addition to the buzzing guitars, you can hear a swooping, swirling, alarm-like drone throughout the entire song.  This, friends, is the beginning stages of what would eventually become songs like “To Here Knows When” and “Only Shallow.”  That sound, made by playing the guitar while manipulating the tremolo arm, was another key mark on the blueprint of the MBV sound.  The result is hypnotic, addictive and rather sensual. 

“Thorn” is perhaps the weakest song on this E.P., but it’s saved by the catchy melodies and fast tempo.  Once again, we hear a swirling drone in the background.  Aside from that, this is typical mid-80s guitar pop.  Kevin Shields’ voice is acceptable, but has never been the strongest.  Still, that constant background noise sets this track apart from all the others you can find from 1988.

”Cigarette In Your Bed” is sung by Bilinda Butcher, and it’s quite different from anything else on the E.P.  The song alternates from vocal sections featuring heavy amounts of echo and, mostly, subtle drumming from Colm O’Ciosoig and little else; to bursts of moderately-distorted electric guitar.  The band doesn’t try to invent new sounds here, but they do create a moody, almost gothic sound that proves a great feature for Butcher’s sweet voice. 

The final track, “Drive It All Over Me,” is perhaps one of the best tracks on the E.P., which is an accomplishment considering the quality of what comes before it.  Heavy bass, heavily distorted guitars, jangly rhythm guitars, and a very pretty, indistinct voice (which actually sounds like a mix between Kevin and Bilinda) all come together to serve a truly lovely melody. MBV is a band that knows how to use melody, and I think this is one of their best.  While listening to this song, I’m almost reminded of Smashing Pumpkins’ earlier work.  Tracks like this are where 90s alternative rock came from.  I really like the vocals on this track.  They are fairly similar to what Kevin and Bilinda did on Loveless.  As with the other tracks, hints of what was to come can be found all over the place on this E.P.

If you want to know where My Bloody Valentine found their unique sound, look no further. But don’t be afraid to enjoy the songs here on their own merits, because they are all very strong and this E.P. is a great collection of music.  This was definitely worth the price I paid for it, and I can’t believe music like this was being made when I was only eight years old.  Thanks to the internet, I’m now able to listen to great songs like these that would have otherwise been inaccessible and perhaps lost. 

Review: Jake Lee Rau, "Joy"

I admit it, I first heard Jake Lee Rau on the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer episode "The Initiative" like almost every one else has. I fell in love with the song instantly, and spent a good few years trying to hunt down Rau's album, "Joy."

Rau seems to be a bit of a mystery. Searching for her on the interwebs is near impossible. No offical website, no albums on itunes, not even a video on youtube. All I've managed to find is that she's a Canadian born artist and has worked with both the Cactus Hunters and Brad Scribner, and Buffy creator Joss Weedon has *incredible* taste in music.

Somewhere between folk-rock and alt country, her bluesy raspy voice shines on this album. "Welcome," the song featured on Buffy is a gorgeous, haunting song, while "Open road" has a definite rock feel to it. The album has an honest, simple feel to it complete with deep, gusty vocals that are easy to fall in love with.

She's that good.

A wonderful debut album, One can only hope she produces more. If anyone can help with more information on the artist, please let me know!

Russ says: She has a really amazing voice. Very powerful and bluesy. Kind of reminds me of Janis Joplin on some songs. I also really love that album cover!

Track List:

1. Light On My Feet
2. Another Day
3. Welcome
4. Open Road
5. Let Them In
6. Empty Room
7. My Own Way
8. Lost Hope
9. October
10. Joy

"Welcome"



"October"




Please note that songs are only for preview purposes, support the artist and buy the album! It's available here from Amazon, and here from CD Baby.