Scottish, new wave romantic Roddy Frame had our hearts aflutter on his pop outfit's debut album, High Land, Hard Rain in 1983. Formed in Glasgow in 1980, Frame was the creative voice and poetic genius behind Aztec Camera with help from hired musicians, Campbell Owen and Dave Mullholland and later backed by Malcom Ross of Orange Juice and Josef K. Frame let his unguarded heart guide him through a parade of lovely jingle-jangle pop numbers full of powerful melody. Sounding somewhere between the soft edge of Elvis Costello and bitter element of Belle & Sebastian, Frame's first was an instant indie classic for Rough Trade Records. Aztec Camera never quite duplicated its success on its first album with its poignant pop sensibility or precious poetic tenderness often overcome by bad blue-eyed soul on its last three albums; bringing back to mind Blow Monkees B-Sides or sappy Simply Red outakes. High Land, Hard Rain featured classics like the upbeat 'shout from the rooftops' "Oblivious," which may have Howard Jones swimming in his premature grave. Good luck finding this one on CD, as this one is for the vinyl age with contemporary tunes like "Pillar to Post" and "Walk Out to Winter." Wash this one down with a tasty ESB, called Logan's Pride from Revolution Brewing and all is good.
05/28/2010
05/21/2010
Flashback Friday: Old Sweet Twee Darlings Still Dazzle
Seven years before Belle & Sebastian hypnotized us with its tender baroque pop, legendary Sarah Records artist, The Field Mice melted our hearts with its saccharine sweet twee stylings. Frontman, Bobby Wratten founded the band in a South London suburb, Mitcham and shared his wispy wussy side of break-ups and old loves gone awary with songs like "This Love is Not Wrong" and "Emma's House." The sound falling somewhere between mid-80s New Order and late-Smiths ala "Girlfriend in a Coma", lyrically derivative of miserable Morrissey's romances unreckoned. Three albums in a little over three years, not bad for this treasured pop band, but the complete works, Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way? is all a listener needs. The Field Mice later went on to form the more ambient-electronic band, The Northern Picture Library and more recently a return to cuddlecore form, The Trembling Blue Stars. Here are a few standouts from their 36 song anthology.
05/20/2010
You, You're Awesome @ The Elbo Room 5/17/2010
Only one band could evoke continuous shouts of "You're awesome!" from the crowd in multiple senses. The Windy City welcomed the Cincinnati electronic duo, You, You're Awesome to two stints this weekend; at Subterranean and then the Elbo Room. In spite of the calendar, the cloudy cold weather, a few of us trekked down the stairs of the rather metal Elbo Room for some good ole fashioned electro-pop.
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05/18/2010
Murs @ Lincoln Hall, 5/12/2010
To the casual hip-hop fan, a live show from an artist with a Definitive Jux connection can feel like an unguided tour into the protean shadow-world of backpack hip-hop. Even though Murs parted ways with El-P's record label and moved to Warner Bros. on 2008's Murs for President, his 1990s work with L.A.'s hallowed Living Legends crew and his years in the Def Jux stable mean that he carries some serious credibility with hard-core fans of independent rap. And like most Def Jux graduates, Murs boasts a few proper studio albums and an avalanche of collaborations, mixtapes, one-offs, EPs and other rap flotsam to keep up with — the truly devoted must designate wings of their houses to prevent the stacks of discs from swallowing their living rooms. "Oh, really. You don't have FELT 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez?" With digital mixtapes propagating like well-fed fruit flies these days, one wonders if "hip-hop head" won't become a full-time career in the near future.
05/17/2010
Hurricane Bells @ Subterranean 5/14/2010
Hurricane Bells came by my way rather haphazardly. As with many, my first exposure was through the New Moon soundtrack, yet it slipped under my consciousness since I don't stare at the track listing. Not more than a week ago, the band resurfaced by word-of-mouth of a friend who I had run into at previous concerts. Nevertheless, I, along with those remnants who stuck around after King Sparrow, were lifted and stirred by "The Winters in New York" opening late Friday night's set.
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05/14/2010
Flashback Friday: Gedge Still Got the Goods
Leeds, U.K.-based indie rock darlings, The Wedding Present were formed as a quartet in 1985 after the demise of Lost Pandas. Spearheaded by the eccentric frontman and lead guitarist, David Gedge, the band released its first record George Best in 1987, a compilation of singles that paid homage to the Manchester United soccer star of the 60s and 70s. While this effort displayed the band's playful over-the-top pop personality, the following records, Bizarro and Seamonsters dug at the raw nerve. With the help of producer, Steve Albini, The Weddoes hit stride with its signature sound of Gedge's frenetic three-chord guitar progression coupled with his off-the cuff-manic prose; love-bent lyrics that blend beautifully with choppy bass riffs, swirling guitars and tight, diligent drumming, all providing the constant rhythm of heartbreak until crescendo.
At times, Gedge's edgy demeanor reminds me of a ballsy Morrissey with his emotional instability and his cracked at the core heart. However, where Morrissey wallows in self-pitying poetry in a Girlfriend in a Coma-esque way, Gedge picks at the scab, never lamenting on the lunacy of love. On the lovelorn "Brassneck," he snarls "I Just Decided I Don't Trust You Anymore," while on the cult classic, "Kennedy" he ponders "Oh, Have You Lost Your Love of Life? Too Much Apple Pie." The highlight on Bizarro is "Take Me," a nine-minute jaw-dropping indie jam that embodies the essence of the Weddoes.
05/12/2010
Hurricane Bells to stir up Subterranean
Subterranean welcomes Steve Schiltz's new basement project, Hurricane Bells, this Friday, May 14th. The buzz around Longwave's singer and guitarist's latest creative outlet has been rumbling louder than the neighboring Blue Line. His b-side, "Monsters," unexpectedly snuck upon everyone who listened to the superb soundtrack to Twilight: New Moon. Riding on these critically gleaning rails laid before Hurricane Bells, Tonight Is The Ghost was written, recorded and mixed entirely by himself before its Vagrant Records release in November. Think a young Paul Westerberg with a sentimental, inquisitive kick of an uptempo Bon Iver.
Hurricane Bells will assuredly be a dreamy start to the weekend in the city. Show at 9:30 PM with supporters Verona Red and King Sparrow. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Photo by Mayumi Nashida.
05/07/2010
Flashback Friday: Candy Store Pop of Cloudcuckooland
Liverpudlian dream pop outfit , The Lightning Seeds hit the music scene in the late 1980s. Its been 20 years since Ian Broudie, the mastermind behind the one-man band released its cheesy candy store pop, Cloudcuckooland. Broudie is better known for producing such acts as Echo & The Bunnymen and The Fall, and later working with British alt rockers, The Coral, The Zutons and I Am Kloot. Lightning Seeds scored a major hit with the shimmering saccarhine sweet gem "Pure" and the equally as mesmerizing pop ballad "All I Want." Broudie is notorious for creating an alternative dreamy reality all filled with fireworks and sparks flying.
05/03/2010
Los Campesinos! @ Metro 4/30/10
The Cardiff eight-piece has always thrown caution to the wind. Worries about the sophomoric slump? None, their second album was released months after the debut. Tiny crystals of volcanic glass getting sucked into jet engines? Pssh. Jumping past the barriers into the crowd without losing a riff? Check and mate. Los Campesinos! wrapped up April with what Gareth thinks was their biggest gig of their current Stateside tour, upgrading to the storied venue from the much, much smaller Empty Bottle in the course of less than two years. That time has lapsed since this writer has seen the UK indie rockers, leaving a big question mark to how they've weathered the storms.
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