RFC Interview: MMW's Chris Wood

Together now for nearly two decades, experimental jazz trio Medeski, Martin and Wood continue to push the boundaries of their collective sound in surprising new directions. Renowned for their improvisational dexterity and expansive musical vocabulary, the band's exploratory live performances have always been central to their creative process. For their latest project, The Radiolarian Series, the band reversed the usual recording cycle, challenging themselves to compose and develop three albums of new material through a series of tours before entering the studio. Released throughout 2008 and '09, the resulting Radiolarians albums are infused with the energies and influences of the trio's long experience traveling and creating music together.

Medeski, Martin & Wood - Undone

Medeski, Martin & Wood - Trinity Workshop Improv

Flashback Friday: A Spy in the House of Lovely Sound

 

Hopeless romantics the House of Love (HOL) formed in London in 1986, quickly garnered praise from legendary Creation Records and released three singles and a self-titled debut album. The band named  after Anais Nin's 1954 novel, A Spy in the House of Love, which depicted a tormented adulteress coming to grips with her tempestuous relations. HOL showcased a bittersweet Brit-pop sound reminiscent of post-Smiths, early Echo & the Bunnymen and Psychedelic Furs.

Fontana Records signed the band to rave reviews but poor sales and tension due to drugs between guitarists Guy Chadwick and Terry Bickers eventually tainted the band's progression. However, HOL's second self-titled record, (aka The Butterfly album) mystified listeners with its acoustic arsenal on "The Beatles and the Stones" proclaiming "it made it good to be alone." More upbeat and noisy guitars swirl on earlier singles "Shine On" and captivate with a clever cat-and-mouse tale of love on "I Don't Know Why I Love You." On March 2, 2009, HOL released Live at the BBC.

Beatles & the Stones

Shine On

Don't Know Why I Love You

Shake & Crawl

Hurriance Bells Build Buzz Courtesy of Longwave

Rising from the ashes of the currently on hiatus Longwave comes Hurricane Bells, the project of Longwave singer Steve Schlitz. Hurricane Bells just released their first album, Tonight is the Ghost, hot on the heels of their inclusion on the buzz worthy soundtrack to the second Twilight movie, New Moon. Going for a less obvious, more alt-country influenced sound than we heard with Longwave, Hurricane Bells tracks like "Freezing Rain" and "Winters in New York" are immediately appealing with dark charms and creeping melodies. Lead single "This Year" starts out contemplative and understated but soon builds up steam, sounding vaguely triumphant as Schlitz's lackadaisical, Nick Cave-ish vocals turn optimistic. I imagine that it's going to make quite a few New Year's eve play lists, along with the annually relevant "The New Year" by Death Cab For Cutie.

Hurricane Bells debut is out now on Vagrant, making it one of the late 2009 albums I want to check out.

Hurricane Bells - This Year

Tortoise Shops at Amoeba

Fun promo video here of John and Doug from Tortoise doing a little shopping at Amoeba while on tour.

RFC TV: Prairie Cartel - "No Light Escapes Here"

Chicago's Swedish Invasion

Despite the Spanish name, El Perro Del Mar is actually a girl named Sara Assbring from Sweden. First gaining attention with her self titled album during the great Swedish revival of 2006 that brought Peter, Bjorn and John's "Young Folks" to muzak everywhere.

After last years From The Valley To The Stars, El Perro Del Mar is back with Love Is Not Pop, a relaxed and melodic collection of songs that features a pretty cool cover of Lou Reed's "Heavenly Arms".

Bone up on your El Perro Del Mar by snagging the track before she hits the Metro on Thursday with the aforementioned Peter, Bjorn and John.

El Perro Del Mar - Heavenly Arms

Flashback Friday: California Baroque Pop Spun Beatles Style

California sunshine popsters, The Merry-Go-Round, endured a wild, dizzy ride of short fame in the late 1960's. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist and musical golden boy, Emitt Rhodes in 1966, the band featured former members of Grass Roots and the Gene Clark Group. With two members still in high school, The Merry-Go-Round managed to reach the Top Ten with their first single, "Live" on radio stations, KHJ-FM in Los Angeles and KGB-FM in San Diego. Sounding somewhere between the California folk-rock of the Byrds or the baroque pop of the Zombies, the band toured briefly with psychedelic acts, including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Electric Prunes and Janis Joplin. While only recording one self-titled album and several singles during its short three-year career, the band's songs "Live" and "Time Will Show The Wiser" were covered by The Bangles and The Fairport Convention, respectively. One of their stellar 60's nuggets "Listen, Listen," maybe the best song that Paul McCartney never wrote. Likewise, Emitt Rhodes maybe the American bastard brother of the once Beatlesque McCartney.

Live

Time Will Show the Wiser

Listen, Listen