It seems a little bit bandwagon to tout an album that has been in Paste, but I knew it first, so this is my call for cred. Doug’s Burr’s On Promenade was released last year by a small label in California, Velvet Blue Music. VBM is sort of my go to label. Because of gems like the initial release of Richard Swift’s The Novelist, Frank Lenz’s Conquest Slaughter, and LN’s Novel, when adequately financed, I will buy most anything they do. At this point it is safe to mention On Promenade in the same breath as any of the amazing albums put out by this definitionally independent label. Also, I obscenity in the milk of cred.
Doug Burr is what country music should be. He should be headlining Country Jam/Fest with Okkervil River, Songs:Ohia, Sixteen Horsepower, and Willie Nelson. Unfortunately, popular country and western music has become a purgatorial reflection of top forty radio pop, embracing all of the inherent flaws and mediocrity of music that has current mass appeal. There isn’t really a profitable place for songs of this sort. Songs that are important. For shame.
Burr’s writing can be both ominous and hopeful. Vivid descriptions of dreams and letters from painters are paired with lush instrumentation atypical of the sometimes austere alt-country genre. The album has a well crafted ebb and flow of tempo and mood making repeat listens genuinely enjoyable.
‘How Can The Lark (My Dear Theo)’ is presented as a letter from an aforementioned painter to his brother, a correspondence of love and pain and compulsion. The guitar swell at the end of the first verse may be my favorite moment in any of his songs, so pay attention. The song will leave you, the listener, hanging a bit as it fades absolutely perfectly into the next song. You’ll have to buy it or come over to my house to hear it in context. Open invite.
Doug Burr - How Can The Lark (My Dear Theo)
Pictured: Carl Spidla. Reinforcing every indie-kid stereotype in one photo. If only it were a polaroid.
My least favorite part about writing for Peer Validated is that more often than not I have to find music on other blogs before I can post it. Basically, I have to steal from other sites, and I feel really bad about it. Sometimes I can convince myself that it’s worth it, mostly when what I’m stealing is really, really good, like re-posting something that was once completely original isn’t half as bad as keeping it to myself. This live recording of Carl Spidla’s Blackfly Rag, originally posted on my very favorite site, Saidthegramophone.com, is that kind of thing.
The rolling, finger-picked song, both smooth and ragged in the same way that Devendra Banhart can be at times, the roomy recording, leaving every breath and foot shuffle, every creaking chair, Spidla’s wise, caring voice and domestically conflicted lyrics, “I pretend to be myself and you pretend to be the woman I love. My whole heart is coming apart at the place it meets…,” are all just too good to not post…again.
Carl Spidla - Blackfly Rag
This song helps me enjoy my summer nights. This song and patio furniture. And rum.
The name of this band puts me off, but their name is the only thing that puts me off about the French Kicks. There is not a song I would skip on their new disc, but for now I will focus on “Love in the Ruins”, which is great in context or as a standalone, or an introduction to the French Kicks. I guess that’s called a single.
Is that a ukulele in the beginning? Whatever it is, I like it because it’s misleading. Kind of a switcheroo the Kicks are pulling on us. “Love in the Ruins” is not a fast song by most standards, but it does move along at a pace that I didn’t expect upon hearing the opening chords. Which is weird, because the tempo doesn’t actually change at all. Music.
The bass part comes in halfway through the verse and is just sexy. When I flipped through the liner notes for Swimming, I noticed that they thank the Walkmen. I can hear that Brooklyn stuff in the bass track. Surely I’m not the only one who lumped all those Brooklyn bands together and got sick of all of them at the same time, but the French Kicks are breathing new life into the scene. It’s not annoying to me anymore.
The chorus, the chorus. The chorus represents the thing I love most about this band: laziness. The vocal tracks just sound so lazy and slurred and it’s fantastic. They really have the loose-feel thing down to a science. Which is weird, because it’s like a paradox… right?
One more thing I would like to note is the verse that cuts the bass out again. There a lot of moments on the record that work because of spaces, silences, subtractions. This is one of them. So good.
French Kicks - Love In The Ruins
Go to the French Kicks’ 
, or their MySpace.
Video: Just The Small Cities being The Small Cities.
As previously posted, these doods are pretty durn good. “They sound like David Bazan and Low blowing apart your hollow construct of reality,” said we. The Small Cities deliver the full experience live, making epic narrations look easier and more flawless each time they play. The footage can only portray so much of it, but this threesome can completely fill a room with surprisingly large sounds. And, of course, we fully appreciate a band that can hold its own with witty on-stage banter.
Do the myspace thing to hear more of their songs and catch a show.
Frightened Rabbits are a cool band who plan mid-rockin’ music of the happy variety. Four members, one guitar, one bass, and a whole lot of egg shaker is pretty much the norm on their new single, Head Rolls Off. I don’t want to ruin the video for you, but it takes place in a second grade classroom, so *spoiler alert* cute kid moments abound. Enjoy everybody.
Pictured: Headlights must have reeeeally pissed off Oscar the grouch.
Headlights are a Champagne, Illinois that I could have sworn was British the first time I heard them. Maybe it’s my own prejudice, but when I hear a guy singing sweetly into a microphone while all sorts of cutesy bells and shit go on around him, I just think jolly old England. Is that me being prejudiced? Probably. Am I totally right usually? Undoubtedly. Anyway, that is neither here nor there, Headlights is a fun little diversion of the band that offers plenty of groany alt-country guitars, organ pads, and even the occasional hand clap. (for a while didn’t it look like banjos were going to be the new hand clap in indie rock? What a scary time.)
Headlight’s song, “Market Girl” is the embodiment of all the good things in this genre. It rollicks from the beginning (I don’t use that term lightly) and continues to do so until the end. In between their are string parts, boy and girl vocals, and yes, even hand claps. There is a deep dark fear in my heart that this song will be used for evil, like to advertise Target or Imacs or something, but until then I think we can enjoy this song with clean conscience.
These guys have played with Now, Now Every Children before (a peervalidated favorite), if you get a chance and have a girlfriend (or boyfriend) that loves to do that awkward indie-rock half dance, this is directly up your alley.
Headlights - Market Girl
Pictured: One of the only pictures on I, Torrents myspace. Please let it not be their practice space.
I, Torrent is a local (Eau Clairian) band that kicks out bass heavy, albini-induced rockers. They’ve played a couple of shows around here, most notably opening for Alan Sparhawk’s band du jour, The Retribution Gospel Choir. These guys are all seasoned vets of the EC scene, and it is entirely visible in their live shows, which sound nearly as polished as their new EP.
The track, “She’s an Invisible Ship” stands out in my mind as a testament to what heavy music done right can be. Sean Lau’s vocals growl through the whole sh-bang of chorusy guitars and ultra low bass. I’m still not sure who she is, but evidently she’s one helluva sinkin’ ship. Look for the highlight of the song at the 1:51 mark, which is as good as anything I’ve heard in the past couple of months.
I think that sometimes all of us get caught up in these flavor of the month bands, and forget that there have been people making really quality music for the better part of a decade. It’s sometimes nice to hear what that sounds like, if only for the fact that I someday hope someone listens to something I’ve done. PSYCH. Just kidding, but that got a little heart felt at the end, and we can’t have that.
Look for I, Torrent to play shows in the midwest this summer.
I, Torrent - She’s An Invisible Ship
These guys just played in Vancouver with one of my favorite local bands, Winning. And I didn’t go because I didn’t feel like it. I’m an idiot.
Yes, this song is called “A Tell-Tale Penis”. Oh well.
Some things I like about it:
a) ride cymbal in the verses
b) triple guitar attack
c) “It’s the alaaaarm clock”
d) when the drums cut out after the chorus
e) the ending
Nothing more need be written. Is that a proper sentence? Am I mailing this post in? No. Listen.
Joan Of Arc - A Tell-Tale Penis
Click around Joan of Arc’s website, see them on tour (Maritime date in Milwaukee), and buy Boo! Human.
Pictured: Someone yearns to be loved.
This is a badass playground. Kids chanting and dancing around a burning barrel and bashing it with sticks, one of the bandies fluting and the rest demanding attention and rejecting uneven distributions of power and gender roles. Some principal somewhere made some seriously bad decisions to get to this point of mutiny.
The Do - Playground Hustle
Playground Hustle. Viva revolution.
Really though, Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy made some seriously good music on The Dø’s debut, A Mouthful. Parts jazz, folk, classic, African beat and mother’s good lovin’ meet in the middle and lounge.
The Do - Stay (Just A Little Bit More)
The song Stay (Just a Little Bit More) is softer and probably a bit more akin to the rest of the album.
Pictured: The Small Cities are all cursed with varying degrees of bedroom eyes.
Hey all, it’s been a long while since I’ve posted on here. I really have no excuse other than the fact that I am a 100% lazy-ass, white bread boy. And the end of the semester was a big welt on my back-side, but who wants to hear that? Anyway, I hope to be posting 3-4 times a week for the rest of the summer; you know, unless lightning strikes or something. Andy is leaving tomorrow for Arizona, so hopefully we can shoot some video and get that up while he’s gone. We wish him the best of luck while on his scorpion eating tour. Sounds great.
Anyway, The Small Cities are a pretty great band from Minneapolis. They sound like David Bazan and Low blowing apart your hollow construct of reality. Oh, and their bass player is pretty durn good too. I can’t really pick which song to pick up, as all of the EP is a pretty good balance of fun and crying. The first track, “This City” is a down tempo crier with wailing guitars and, um, people. The second track, “Fargo” would’ve been on the OC if the OC was still around and set in a small midwestern town with a good sense of melodrama. The guitars are reverby, the drums are driving, just check it out.
These guys have gotten a lot of good press lately. If you are one of our friends who reads this blog and lives in the Twin Cities, be sure to check them out. These are just the tip of the iceberg.
The Small Cities - This City
The Small Cities - Fargo
Pictured: Lau Nau. Recording the first ever musical how-to album for DIY luring enthusiasts everywhere.
Laura Naukkarinen passes 5-minute long songs by like short whispers. Her Finnish words don’t quite register, but I can tell she means well. She probably means to give small secrets about the simplicity of her life. She definitely means to suggest a closer look and deeper appreciation for the natural world, things both big and small and a general blending of them all to create a grasp at understanding. And she’s all shushes and over the shoulder glances when you respond too loudly, like you might give away her favorite secret to someone passing by.
Lau Nau - Lue Kartaltar
Lau Nau just released a new album called Nukuu(Finnish for Sleep) on Locust Music. It’s full of dreamy little wonders like this song, Lue Kartalta.
Pictured: Now, Now Every Children. All pastels and droopy eyes. The way Easter should be.
There are two things we’re head over heals for at PV: really good music and local bands. So, oh my garsh if we can post about local bands making really good music! We like to think of our Minnesotan neighbors locally, especially those who make trips to play for us here in West-Central Wisconsin.
Now, Now Every Children is painfully introspective while taking in far too much of the world surrounding them. Their songs cast stories about complicated family situations or impossible friendships that give very few answers to the many questions they pose. Girly Eisley-like lead vocals ring perfectly true and clear through mounds of breathy keyboard and xylophone arrangements, clever percussion parts give much more than standard time and while guitars can feel a bit uncertain and a little chunk-chunky at times, they feel all the more genuine for it. It’s absolutely refreshing to hear a band who isn’t afraid to sound unsure of itself.
Now, Now Every Children - Everyone You Know
There are boatloads of good songs I could post for this band. This is the first song on the new In The City EP, a rockin’ cruiser, Everyone You Know.
Now, Now Every Children - Friends With My Sister
This is Friends With My Sister, the last song on the Not One, But Two EP. You must, must, must also go to Now, Now Every Children’s myspace page and listen to the demo version of the song Little Brother. So good, so, so good.
Sometimes I try to put together pieces of video that I’ve shot. I do my best to make these projects visually appealing by applying filters or slowing them down or through the use of other cheap iMovie gimmicks. It’s a pretty enjoyable process. All in all though, the most satisfying part of the whole ordeal is searching through my library and selecting a few pieces of music to accompany the video. Most of the time it only takes me a few minutes to find what I’m looking for; the themes of the footage often bring to mind albums or bands that I think would suit it perfectly.
But something weird happened last week. I heard Float, the first full-length album from Peter Broderick, and I experienced the reverse effect. This music is begging to be used as a soundtrack. Personally, I could see it as great for opening credits. As far as my own headphone usage, I would say it’s simply the ultimate walking-around-in-the-fall music. This album reminds me of being home–the Midwest–in the best way possible.
After a doing a little research and reading some interviews, I found out Peter does quite a bit of film score work, so I guess it’s not a huge shocker that this stuff is similarly constructed.
Now, I don’t like to drop names in my reviews, but if you’re like me, and geek out over modern composers like Jon Brion or (Broderick’s labelmate) Goldmund, I would highly recommend mining this dude’s catalog.
Peter Broderick - A Snowflake
Check out Peter Broderick here, purchase Float here, and if you live on the East Coast or in Europe, see him on tour with Efterklang (as the violinist) at these places.
Oh yeah, he’s only 21. You and I ought to feel pretty lazy right now…
Pictured: Craig Finn, soon to take over color commentary for the Minnesota Twins.
Usually I wouldn’t call out our readers’ comments, but the last time we wrote about The Hold Steady it only got one. One big, fat negative comment. “Aaaaaaaannnnndy! Don’t write about the Hold Steady! Nobody likes the Hold Steady. Hold Steady. Betty.” Wrong you are, Betty.
Craig Finn and Co. released the first single from their upcoming album, Stay Positive, today. It’s a three-and-a-half minute long jam called Sequestered in Memphis that’s more E-Street and full of crowd participation that we’ve heard from them before. There’s tons of organ, big finger-noodle guitar licks and plenty of gaudy saxophones. It’s really nothing revolutionary for The Hold Steady, actually it’s a fairly straight-forward rock out song in comparison, but it’s packed full of the same irresistible, dirty energy and drunken emotions. Nobody but Betty can wait for this album.
The Hold Steady - Sequestered In Memphis
Listen while enjoying your favorite beverage.
During my first two years of high school, my best friend Paul and I used to sit in bean bag chairs and listen to Weezer records. This might be the coolest thing we ever did. We weren’t doing anything else. Since those days, I’ve had my mind bent by a ton of great records, but nothing has really blown me away to the point of setting aside time to put a pair of good headphones on, lay down, close my eyes, and listen to music. I’ll admit that this is mostly my fault. I’ve been busy. It’s not necessarily that these songs didn’t deserve my full attention, I just didn’t make the time. The point is, Bobby & Blumm’s debut album, Everybody Loves… marks the first time I’ve really sat down with an album. You should too.
Well-recorded guitars are important to me. In fact, a fantastic guitar tone has, in my opinion, the ability to excuse a lot of awful things going in a song. These guitars are beautiful. Few instruments in this world can match the quality of a clean electric guitar. I’m at a point right now where I think almost everything recorded with an acoustic guitar could have been improved by substituting a clean Fender guitar.
Wait a minute. This thing also has boy-girl harmonies. Say what you will about the cheese factor of boy-girl harmonies, but these ones will destroy you, all the while being the most understated vocals you’ve heard so far this year.
This is gorgeous.
Bobby & Blumm - In Future Present
Visit Bobby & Blumm here, purchase Everybody Loves… here (or here if you buy vinyl), and go see them on tour whenever that happens.