Radio Free Chicago

Nose Over Tail for Alkaline Trio's newest release: Damnesia

I'm always skeptical at the idea of artists reworking old songs, it's almost like the band admits that they  didn't do it right the first time. With head held high and negative notions brushed aside, my faith in Illinois natives Alkaline Trio kept my mind open and positive for their eighth studio release Damnesia. 

An eery piano intro, which you would completely expect from these guys, kicks off the album at the start of “Calling All Skeletons,” followed by confident acoustics and simple drum beats. The original recording of this song on 2008's Agony & Irony is fantastic, and while I was a little nervous about how the acoustic version would sound, I was very pleased with the result. These good time feelings continued with “Nose Over Tail,” a raw and in-your-face song that the trio managed to successfully transform into a light, moving piece. While the vocals still hold an air of desperation behind them, they are nowhere near as harsh as on the original release on 2000's The Alkaline Trio.

What was once an upbeat and driving song, “This Could Be Love,” off of 2003's Good Mourning, has been slowed down drastically and given an overall gloomy sound, especially in the piano and bass, to match the violent lyrics. You can really hear in this particular song how Matt Skiba's vocals have matured and become much more ominous and dark sounding. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that they chose to remake unbearably adorable “Every Thug Needs a Lady,” into your typical sing-a-long love song, with a somewhat folk twang in the acoustics. This song has always been a personal favorite of mine, with honest and true lyrics “Believe in what I am because it's all I have today / And tomorrow who knows where we'll be.” I am unbelievably happy with the end result of this song.

Moving away from the cute love song and onto a more creepy and morbid note, maybe it's just my sick obsession with collar bones, which is a pretty strong obsession, but I love the song “Clavicle.” The original release on 1998's Goddamnit is very messy sounding with almost too much going on including choppy harmonized vocals. The stripped down version composed for Damnesia, though very simple, sounds much cleaner and refined. Soft and delicate piano opens “The American Scream,” an extremely personal song that many can relate to. After hearing the original version of this song from 2010's This Addiction , I was left confused. The upbeat cheerful music distracted from the serious meaning of the song. The new, unplugged version is much more fitting with drums kicking in at the end for added power and drive. In my opinion, this is how the song should have been done in the first place.

A song of goodbye, “You've Got So Far To Go,” is another ode to lovers with lines like “I heard everybody's voice cut out when you spoke.” This is my favorite kind of love song, brutally honest and desperate, complete with sex appeal in lines like: “I wanna grab you by the arms and kiss you so hard / Let's do it right under the streetlight.” When this song came on I instantly began to belt it out at the top of my lungs. No shame. Album closer, and one of their best known songs, “Radio” sounds just as powerful acoustically as the version on 2000's Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Even if you aren't a trio fan, odds are you know this song. Everyone seems to recognize the guitar melody and famous lines “I wish you would take my radio to bathe with you / Plugged in and ready to fall.” A song of dying love bursting with raw emotion. This was the first song I ever heard and was all it took for me to become a dedicated Alkaline Trio lover.

 

Alkaline Trio -  Radio

RFC Thinks You Should Know... Polecat!

Together for just over a year, bluegrass quintet Polecat still needs some introduction in most places outside of its Bellingham, Wash., homebase. But it's probably a good bet that they'll be starting up a storm soon enough.

I interviewed lead guitarist Jeremy Elliott in April for my local newspaper, just on the heels of the band's debut full-length album, Fire on the Hill, while they were touring with a series of CD release shows. Polecat plans to venture away from the West Coast later this year to promote their music nationwide.

Elliott remarked that the band put out its self-titled debut EP just five weeks into being a band. Since then, they've opened for some pretty big deal acts such as the Moondoggies, Trampled By Turtles and the Infamous Stringdusters. Bellingham's What's Up! magazine awarded the group trophies for Best Newby and Best Highway Americana in its 2011 What's Up! Awards.

Polecat maintains trust in the classic sounds of bluegrass, folk and blues, with a bit of Celtic flair from time to time thrown in by violinist Cayley Schmid. It's a solid formula that sounds fresh and new, even while feeding into those old-fashioned roots. Fire on the Hill gives people something to dance to, and something to sing to, and at times even something to chill out to. Most importantly, it's something that could just as easily appease Grandma as be something you'd want to pass along to your peers.

 

Polecat - Evening Train

 

After such an impressive start and such skillful production, it's easy to think Polecat's probably going places. Which is not just good news for them, but for everyone else, too.

Nothing Is Wrong With The Sophomore Disc From Dawes

I almost feel as if California quartet Dawes had planned the name of their second album Nothing Is Wrong just to land the above headline that renders the album a perfect masterpiece. I know they didn't but it's a clever move, especially considering at what caliber of talent Nothing Is Wrong finds Dawes performing at. 

Dawes became darlings of the Midwest with the unironic classic rock sound of their debut album, North Hills. In the years since the release, Dawes has found themselves sharing the stage with everyone from Bright Eyes to The Walkmen, playing noteworthy festivals the world over, and selling out venues like Lincoln Hall on their own solo tours. Of course, the adoration coupled with the fact that Dawes isn't exactly doing anything new or groundbreaking resulted in a bit of a Dawes backlash that left me curious to see how the naysayers would react to the band's newest disc. 

It ends up if those naysayers are still saying their nay, it's fallen on deaf ears. Nothing Is Wrong has capitolized upon the buzz Dawes has built over the past two years and then some. The group's garnering high profile tours and glowing reviews left and right and with good reason: Nothing Is Wrong is filled with instant classics ("So Well", "How Far We've Come", a stellar version of which can be found at Daytrotter) that find Dawes perfecting the timeless formula that's endeared them to so many. Sure, Dawes isn't doing anything that the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young haven't done before but Dawes isn't about being groundbreaking. It's about making anthemic, '70's tinged songs that wear their heart on their sleeves in an endearing every-guy sort of way. Anyone who's ever had their heart broken will find a sympathetic shoulder to lean on in front man Taylor Goldsmith's lyrics, which find the frontman alternating between sober apathy, bitter disdain, and lovelorn longing.

Nothing Is Wrong is chock full of songs that the band has perfected on the road and the tightness of the foursome is evident throughout the album. For proof of this, look no further than the quick paced and intricate guitar work on "How Far We've Come", a track anyone who's caught Dawes over the past two years will remember from the song's triumphant sing-along nature. Nothing Is Wrong finds the band taking the formula they perfected with North Hills and running with it. The song writing is stronger, the musicianship more precise. With their sophomore effort, Dawes proves that the instant-classic sound of their debut was no fluke and if this trend continues, we'll have a lot of the same to enjoy from the foursome in the future.

 

 Dawes - Coming Back To A Man

 

Ben Sollee Expands His Repertoire With Inclusions

I've always had a weak spot for the cello so it's no surprise that I took an immeadiate shine to Ben Sollee when I first found out about the classically trained cellist-slash-dreamboat (Seriously. Look at him! He's cute as a button!) via his collaboration with Daniel Martin Moore. With Dear Companion, his cd with Moore, Sollee cemented his place in my heart and we all know that with that place comes the outlandish adoration that involves a vigorous daily e-stalking regime that makes certain no forthcoming release will go unnoticed. Somehow, however, Sollee's latest solo effort, Inclusions, escaped me so when I found out about the disc's existence, it was like getting a belated birthday present from my second favorite cellist (My first, naturally, being the eleven year old cellist-in-training I babysit).

Inclusions, start to finish, is an album that gets lovelier with each passing listen. Each element audible here - Be it Sollee's intimate vocals, a gently strummed acoustic guitar ("Captivity"), or the album's recurring brass section - has been captured at it's finest and it seems as if each element of Inclusions begs to be noticed in a different fashion the more familiar you get with the record.

You can listen to Inclusions all the way through at Sollee's bandcamp and if you like what you hear (which I'm sure you will), you can toss the man ten bones to get a copy for your very own. If you're still not ready to commit, just take a listen to the triumphant "Close To You".

 

 Ben Sollee - Close To You

 

RFC Reviews: Archie Powell & The Exports "Skip Work"

Back in February 2011 I somehow wound up Facebook friends with Archie Powell. Fast forward three months later. I decide to trim my Facebook friends from 330-something friends to 130-something. Somehow, Mr. Powell survives my miniature holocaust despite me having no idea who the hell this schmuck is. Now that I have considerably fewer friends, Archie’s status updates begin appearing on my wall. I notice he’s in a band, the creatively titled “Archie Powell & The Exports”. Perhaps it was Archie’s complete lack of hubris, perhaps I just wanted the chance to make fun of a fellow struggling artist, or perhaps it was fate. Whatever the cause, I found myself on The Exports bandcamp page, listening to their debut LP “Skip Work”.

Skip Work opens with the very poppy and decidedly not bluesy “Milkman Blues”. From there Skip Work grabs you by the throat, worms into your heartstrings, and takes you on a bumpy ride through its twelve tracks. I won’t lie, I came into this review prepared to rip Archie and his band mates a new asshole, but I simply don’t have it in me. Skip Work is too much fun.

There aren’t any standout tracks on Skip Work. Rather, Archie and Co have a very distinctive, signature style that they maintain throughout. Archie has a twangy, nasally voice halfway between John Darnielle and Tom Petty. It floats over The Exports tightly woven pop crunch like cold milk through sugary cereal, and works surprisingly well for something you’d imagine more suitable for an alt country act. Archie’s no Bob Dylan, but he isn’t Fred Durst either. Much like his music, Archie’s lyrics are simple, sincere, and fun. None of the instruments hog or fight for the spotlight, sacrificing personal glory for the benefit of the whole. When the guitar or keyboard take a few bars to solo, 90% of time it’s a simple repetition of the melody with a grace note or two thrown in ala Weezer and/or Nirvana. Every melody is equally infectious, so that after the CD ends, instead of having one song stuck in your head various melodies and choruses chirp through your brain like a college marching band arrangement.

RFC Reviews: TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

Like with Conor Oberst's more recent output, it was initially pretty difficult for me to get into the older, more mature and spiritual TV on the Radio. I mean, I liked 2008's Dear Science. I liked it a whole lot- it's great! But compared to the darker, more despotic heights of past triumphs Return to Cookie Mountain and the Young Liars EP, I was unsure of their future. When I saw them at the Metro in 2007 (with the absolutely extaordinary Subtle), they were already giving of a kind of "chill dad" vibe that was a little unsettling in light of how brilliantly unsettling their formative years were. What would an album called Nine Types of Light have to offer?

Well, I thought first single "Will Do" was sorta wack. It seemed pleasantly romantic, and of course well-produced (Dave Sitek will never let your ears down!), but felt weirdly slight in light of the emotional mountains that TVOTR have deconstructed throughout their career. Then, I saw the video:

 

 

RFC Reviews: Kid Sid poised to "Rule the World" May 31st

- Clay Riedesel

Records Are For Lovers Co-Owner  and good friend Mylynda Nellermoe contacted me to write a review of  Brandon Sidney’s (stage name Kid Sid) new EP Rule The World. My task is simple: listen to the EP, write about it, and be honest. I’ve been forewarned that Brandon writes R&B/Electronica fusion music. This is relevant because whenever I listen to good music intended to make people dance, regardless of how sober or alone I am I dance (badly) like nobody is watching. At the moment, I’m typing this in a library surrounded by several onlookers. So this is bound to be interesting, or at the very least embarrassing.

The EP opens with the title song “Rule The World." Immediately, a piercing guitar riff catches your attention while two background synths duel it out for harmony and rhythm dominance. Thirty seconds into the song the drum beat kicks in, and despite that I’m writing this from a laptop connected to a pair of headphones (my laptop sucks, the speakers don’t work) I can’t seem to keep myself from awkwardly chair dancing.

Fortunately for any onlookers “Rule The World” quickly leads into “Intoxicated”, a heartfelt rhythm and blues ballad about alcohol and it’s strange ability to get even the ugliest duckling laid provided said duckling drinks enough beverages with ethanol content. Now, we both know the market is saturated with songs like these, but what separates Kid Sid from the competition is instead of reveling in the hedonism of it all, he admits his faults in a way that manages to be depressing, empathetic, and masculine all at the same time: “I’m gonna chug shot after shot/so I can reach you/You’re the fuel to my addiction, hun/I’ve got to have you”. Unfortunately for my library audience (I’ve had several people stare at me already, including a cute girl I have no hope of seducing now), “Intoxicated” is just as danceable as “Rule The World”. It’s far slower though, so instead of jerking around like someone suffering from a seizure ala Thom Yorke, my audience has to suffer watching me rhythmically sway my body in that awkward way only really white people can move in perfect rhythm and still look retarded.

RFC Reviews: Kitsuné Maison Compilation 11

Today we bring a special guest blogger on over from Mezzic, Dave of In The Black Box. I originally met him while studying abroad years ago, and his electronic music knowledge astounds as evidenced by his writing and music endeavors (check his EP here). He's sharing his review of Kitsuné's latest compilation, which is released May 16th, with Radio Free Chicago. Welcome to RFC! - John

Six years after the first Kitsuné Maison Compilation the Paris based fashion and electronic music label have reached their 11th instalment of the indie inspired club music collection… or is that club inspired indie music?

This is a question which has followed the label around the past decade. They feel that this, “the Indie-Dance issue” of the series speaks for itself and sits “right at the crossroads” of the two genres which have been at the heart of their label.

Whatever the ingredients that make up this fresh musical soup, it is sure to be the perfect recipe for the Summer, as one sun drenched tune gives way to another in a 17 track barrage of the newest and most cutting edge Indie-Dance music being created on the planet right now. According to the label, these tracks have been carefully selected from artists all around the world; some are so new the band doesn’t even have a name yet. So if anything Kitsuné is providing a cross-section on the global indie-dance music scene as it exists right now… A reflection perhaps on how much the music world has been opened up by the internet, it seems that now not only music listeners, but also the labels themselves are scouring the World Wide Web for the next best thing since sliced bread.

This is certainly a compilation to bring to your next house party. There is not one downer in the bunch and every track is packed full of that ridiculous sense of optimism and positivity that one feels as they crack into their first beer, and chat busily to friends about the club, the music, the possibilities of the night ahead, and the “hottie-in-the-corner” who just keeps checking you out.

“Roman” from Housse De Racket is exactly what you need to loosen those dancing limbs, with that combination of guitar and synth that seems to be the common factor that runs through this whole collection. Polarsets’ “Sunshine Eyes” with its percussion and kalimba like melodies places you at a rooftop party, at dusk on a summer’s evening, watching the sun set behind skyscrapers and the city lights illuminate the way to the dancefloor.

Kitsuné Maison 11 MiniMix by Jerry Bouthier by Kitsune Maison

It’s is clear that Kitsuné have strove to develop a soundtrack to your night out this summer. Whether you like it or not, each tune documents those specific, unforgettable moments on everyone’s night out; you will be humming along Alexander Dexter Jones’ “Phantastic Phone Call” as you pile into your wardrobe for the perfect outfit; Polarsets and Housse De Racket bring you the pre-drinks while Cosmonaut and Creep pump menacingly out of the doors of the club while you lose yourself in the collective happiness of the dancefloor. Sermon “The Touch” is for that moment when you dip deep into the groove late on in the night, pounding house grooves and chanting vocals power you through until the sunrise. Before you know it you’re halfway out of a car sunroof, feeling the wind in your hair as you breeze down empty city streets at 5am singing at the top of your lungs to Guards’ “Resolution of One”.

As a fashion label their idea must be that if you feel good listening to this music you will most certainly look good. Even at 7am as you munch on some cold pizza on the floor of some guys apartment with only one shoe and a banana skin that you acquired from some other drunken reveller only hours earlier… by this stage you are singing along to “Big Things” by Fiction and haven’t a care in the world… you feel great so you must look like a million dollars… right?

There are definitely some stand-out tracks on this compilation. I took the time to catch up with Gallops, a Welsh outfit whose killer tune “Miami Spider” has been turning heads and bending ears all around the world. After completing two cracking headline gigs this past weekend at Camden Crawl, it is clear that the band love the stage and this track reflects that with a clear live sound, a natural groove and progression that is driven through by a killer repeating guitar line. When I asked them about their live sound Mark, one of four members in the band, had this to say.

“To be fair I would say we are a live band first and foremost. That’s not to say our recordings don’t do us justice, but I do think we are best experienced in the flesh. Our music is probably best when as loud as possible.”

And on their track “Miami Spider” Mark explained

“Miami Spider was the final track on our debut EP that was released at the end of last summer through Holy Roar/Blood and Biscuits and it seems to be the most popular track from that EP. I guess it is the most catchy and immediate so we can see why. It’s quite strange and bad timing that this compilation is getting released so long after the EP, as it almost feels like we have put that track to bed and are moving on with new sounds etc. Perhaps we would of sold millions if the compilation had been released before the EP! Perhaps not. It’s definitely great to be featured though, regardless of the timing factor!”

(You can find the whole interview on www.intheblackbox.eu)

Gallops have a distinctive sound that really stands out over the rest of the compilation, however they fit right into the overall vibe of the collection which looks set to hit home at parties and clubs when it is released on the 16th of May. It is a party album, a celebration of the best bits of indie-dance, designed to get you moving your feet and nodding your head. It is the soundtrack to your nights out, your one night stands, your drunk and disorderly-s, your early morning after parties, your sunsets and sunrises. Come September each track will have a memory, and be firmly engraved on your brain bringing back a little ray of summer sunshine every time you think of it.

Release Date: 05/16/2011
Label: Kitsuné, kitsune.fr
Running Time: 65mins

Tracklist:
01. “Let’s Go All The Way” (Early Version)
02. Alexander Dexter Jones – “Phantastic Phone Call”
03. Housse De Racket – “Roman”
04. Polarsets: “Sunshine Eyes”
05. Gallops: “Miami Spider” (Ponciau edit)
06. Cosmonaut – “Say What You Want”
07. Creep – “Days” (Azari & III Remix)
08. Is Tropical – “The Greeks”
09. Peter & The Magician – “Twist”
10. The Touch – “Sermon”
11. Logo x Icona Pop – “Luvsick”
12. Beat Connection – “Silver Screen”
13. Nightbox – “Pyramid”
14. Guards – “Resolution Of One”
15. Fiction – “Big Things”
16. Exotica – “Conte d’Eté” (Afrofunk Version)

Originally published at Mezzic.

Gun Lake emerges from winter's mist with Balfour

It took a little longer than initially expected, but Ann Arbor quartet Gun Lake has finally released their debut album, Balfour, to the eager ears that fell in love with lead single “Cliffhanger” last November. And it was definitely worth the wait.

Since I last wrote here about Gun Lake, the band retooled its lineup a bit to include bassist Ben Collins along with the roster of lead singer/guitarist Mark Fain, guitarist/keyboardist Ryan O’Reilly and drummer Max Monson (the bass tracks heard on the album remain by former bassist Matt Roney). Together they infuse a magnificent richness into Fain’s songs, their vocal harmonies carrying the music just as strongly as the instrumentation. It speaks to their combined skills that of all the artists I’ve ever mass-recommended to people I know, I’ve never seen so many actually take my advice as they have for Gun Lake. Not only does Fain write music that is effectively flawless, but there’s a stunning diversity in its reach. All types of music fans can’t seem to resist sipping from this folk-pop grail.

“Cliffhanger” has been refined for the album, ushering in softer vocal layers than what we heard in November. Balfour’s minor notes combine for light melodies, bittersweet, like a field of brilliantly hued flowers blooming beneath a gray sky. Fain’s lyrics are fraught with drama, emotionally deep and at times cutting. In the nimble woodland waltz, “Trees,” he sings “Spring was just a lie/ the warmth never came” followed in a later verse with “My wishes a waste/ And you don’t want a taste/ Of what we promised ourselves.” The pain of romance is aptly conveyed in Fain’s words. It reaches the pinnacle of clarity during “Backwards” (which showcases perhaps the album’s most stunning bass line) as he cries out simply “I can’t do this anymore.”

Gun Lake - Backwards

Gun Lake’s music is so uniformly beautiful, it’s hard to pick a favorite song. One moment,  you’re finding yourself enamored with the imagery of “Stormy Country,” the next, you’re dying over every sweet note of “I Gave Enough,” and later still you may reel over the delectable drums thudding through “June.” This is why Balfour succeeds so strongly as an album.

But you’ll probably find me getting lost in “Time Again” more than anything. The multiple vocals become an orchestra in themselves, adorned elegantly by their instruments. “Time Again” rises gradually, from a gentle opening to a brisk end, imploring “Don’t you remember who I am?/ I remember you.” At the very least, it’s clear Fain’s made a record that no one will be forgetting anytime soon ever.

RFC Reviews... The Weeknd - House of Balloons!

The Weeknd is one of those artists that seemingly came out of nowhere and in the blink of an eye was running the blogosphere. And in this particular case, I think that anything less would have been a crime. The Weeknd's sparse, creeping "What You Need" is a great intro to the artist, twenty year old Abel Tesfaye. The song sounds at first like it's gonna be a post-Burial dubstep ballad, but turns into something more along the lines of Drake's oeuvre. Indeed, The Weeknd and the current prince of pop rap are buddies! Which makes sense, because Tesfaye takes many of Drake's hallmarks and elevates them to the next level. House of Balloons is full of moody explorations of young wealth and love (or rather, a staggering lackthereof). All of Tesfaye's come-ons have an element of darkness to them- he's a much badder boy than Drake. And a better singer!

The Weeknd - What You Need

The production here too reaches heights that are largely unprecedented in R&B. The Siouxsie & the Banshees sampling title track feels as deliriously high as it intends to be, "The Morning" is dreamy and decadent, and "Coming Down" feels in mood and texture like a genuine heir to Timbaland's late-90s R&B perfection. Much of it reads as a continuation of the style that Drake's in-house producer 40 has been nourishing the past few years, a passing of the baton. It retains the airy futuristic synths of 40's work, but with a discernible affection toward the past (as Tesfaye moans the refrain "bring the 707 out" toward the end of "Glass Table Girls," referencing the old school drum machine prevalent throughout the mixtape). "Wicked Games" is an anthemic reverbed out dirge that sounds like it could have snuggled up brilliantly between En Vogue and Tevin Campbell on the soundtrack for some movie that probably has a mid-twenties Vivica Fox in it*. It feels uncannily like appreciating the entirety of the last 30 years of soul music at once.

The Weeknd - Wicked Games

Oh, except with a higher than normal amount of (possibly self-aware?) post-modern dread and decadence. Did I say decadent yet? This mixtape is decadent as fuck.

*and at least one cast member of A Different World

Sort of Different Strokes, But Not Too Different

If you’re anything like me, (and I sincerely hope you’re not because I’m terrible), you’ve been waiting a long time to hear from The Strokes again.  Seriously, it feels like it’s been forever since their most recent album, First Impressions of the Earth, was released.  Oh, right, that’s because it HAS been forever!  It’s okay though because after a lengthy five year hiatus The Strokes are finally back and better than ever!

The band’s newest album, Angles, was released just a couple of weeks ago and is definitely worth checking into.  Angles adds a little bit of an upbeat energy to the bands usual brand of grungy garage rock coupled with Julian Casablancas’ distinct, shadowy vocals.  It becomes clear very early in the album that the band has made a few changes.

The album begins on a very strong note with, “Machu Picchu”, a song that possesses a vaguely reggae sound mixed with The Strokes’ unique rock style.  This is the perfect opening track because it draws the listener in and essentially forces them to listen to the rest of the album.

The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness

From “Machu Picchu”, we transition into the album’s first single, “Under the Cover of Darkness”.  This is one of those tracks that you cannot help but dance to.  It has a fun, cheerful sort of rhythm, and a beat that makes it almost impossible to stand still.  It’s one of those unbelievably catchy songs that can get stuck in your head for days no matter how hard you try to replace it with something else.

Portland's The Woodlands Give It Away

Chances are that there was one album that landed on both Amber and Abby's favorite albums of 2010 list that you hadn't heard of and that album was by the lovliest duo on the west coast, The Woodlands. Abby raved about their album, as did I over at Mezzic, and the consensus was that The Woodlands make the music that dreams are made of. Gentle and melodic, The Woodlands makes the kind of music that makes you want to fall in love, even if love hasn't been so kind to you in the past. Their debut self-titled release is the audible equivilant of rose colored glasses and well worth than $10 it'd take to procure it over at the band's bandcamp.

Now, just because The Woodlands are just that nice, the duo has made their recent remix album, Heavy Hands, availible for the unbeatable price of free! Snag it here!

The Woodlands - Anymore (Heavy Hands Remix)

While it is occasionally jolting to hear The Woodlands songs that I'm so used to hearing at acoustic lullabys now peppered with heavy bass and beats that wouldn't be out of place at a sweat-laden dance party populated with PBR-swilling hipsters clad in the skinniest of jeans and the highest wasted of skirts, the loveliness of songs like "Until The Day Dims" and "Can We Stay" shine through in any capacity. That versatility is perhaps one of The Woodlands best qualities and it isn't hard to imagine "Anymore", the EP's standout remix, sandwiched on a party mix in between... Well... Whatever it is that hip kids that like dance music listen to these days. To be completely honest, I'm clueless. But regardless of what that music might be, I bet The Woodlands remixes would go very well with it!

RFC Reviews: Childish Gambino - EP

You probably know him as Troy Barnes from the NBC comedy series "Community," but the very funny and endearing Donald Glover also goes by another name: Childish Gambino.

He's actually been rapping under the moniker since 2008 and has released three studio albums, all available for free download. Check his 2010 effort, culdesac, right here.

You may be thinking that Glover is the full package ... at least that's what I'm thinking. Well, this package recently wrapped up a brand new five-song EP and has hand-delivered it to his devoted online community.

It's a tight collection of rhythms and beats that shows a different side of Donald than the goof we see on TV. EP opens with "Be Alone," with lyrics that deal with real (not silly) emotions: "You are the bestest, I will obey you/ These words I wrote for you when you were fucking other dudes/ The only thing I need from you now is some solitude."

 

"Freaks and Geeks" runs on handclaps while Glover drops some delicious pop culture rhymes. His swagger falls heavy on "My Shine," and picks up some dance grooves for "Lights Turned On." Swedish singer Beldina Malaika appears on EP's final track, "Not Going Back."

If the EP were available for sale, I'd urge you to purchase it. But seeing as it's free, I will come over and poke you in the head if you do not download this.

He'll actually be hitting up the Midwest for his latest tour, blending comedy and music for the all-around Donald Glover experience. Dates include an appearance May 17 at the Magic Stick in Detroit and May 18 at Park West in Chicago.

Timber Timbre Creeps On

It's no secret that RFC's EIC, Amber Valentine, has an intense love for Timber Timbre, the macabre project of Canada's Taylor Kirk. I was already feverently anticipating the many great releases that will pepper the months as 2011 soldiers on when it was announced that Timber Timbre would be returning with a follow up to their 2009 self-titled masterpiece but with that news, my excitement for the coming year grew infinitely. With the unveiling of the first release off of 2011's cleverly titled Creep On Creepin' On, "Black Water", my anticipation reached an all-out fever pitch-fueled obsession, orchestarted by Kirk's latest doo-wop inspired tune so it's needless to say that when I found a copy of Creep On Creepin' On waiting in my inbox for review a week or so ago, I listened to it immeadiately... And when it was over, I listened to it again. And again. And promptly, passionately, reviewed it for sister site Mezzic.

What did I think of Timber Timbre's latest?

"The unnerving elements that were Kirk’s signature on Timber Timbre’s past three releases are still present on Creep On Creepin’ On, particularly on opening track 'Bad Ritual', a song that finds Kirk singing of a 'levitating chair' and the 'poltergeist presence in the frame of the bed', set to a backdrop of otherworldly 'oh's and echoed handclaps. 'Bad Ritual' sets you up for a record not unlike the work Timber Timbre has unveiled in the past but as the album progresses, it becomes evident that Timber Timbre has not only advanced their sounds, but their themes as well.

Timber Timbre - Bad Ritual

Creep On Creepin’ On is still a Timber Timbre record, through and through. Instrumental second track 'Obelisk' is anchored with high-pitched violins that recall a Hitchockian aura. 'Too Old To Die Young' haunts with echoing percussion. Later on, 'Do I Have Power' spins a web of seduction as Kirk’s impossibly smooth and eerie vocals are haunted by an aura of auto-harp before dissolving into a saxophone driven jazz-horror nightmare that Danny Elfman wishes he’d composed for a Tim Burton film. Elsewhere on the record, however, tracks like 'Creep On Creepin’ On' and lead single 'Black Water' expose a sunnier side of Kirk musically, drawing heavy influence from Motown and doo wop, reminiscent of Sam Cooke at Halloween. Even the more unnerving qualities of the aforementioned 'Too Old To Die Young' find themselves sharing the stage with an upbeat tempo, with precise guitar searing, before the song morphs into a romantic ballad of loss, violins swelling as Kirk 'burns his bridges', telling the object of his askew desires that he 'won’t come creepin’ to your cross'."

 

Take a gander at Mezzic for all 1,200 words of Amber's ode to Timber Timbre and pick up a copy of Creep On Creepin' On at your earliest conveinience.While you're at it, keep an eye out right here at Radio Free Chicago for Abby's forthcoming take on Timber Timbre's latest LP before the band hits Chicago and Evanston in May - Just in time for Amber's birthday! Fancy that!

Hurrah! A Bolt Of Light! Makes A Grand Entrance With 'Hello!'

One of the greatest bands of all time came and went in the course of a few years, and it’s more than likely that you completely missed it. New York indie-rock quartet Paper and Sand produced the kind of music that you’d shell out a kidney for if it came to that.

Paper and Sand - The Cruelest Joke

The band self-released two full-length albums: Wolf at My Door (2007) and Thick as Thieves (2009). Not long after they split up in 2009, guitarist/vocalist Wil Farr announced a new group called Hurrah! A Bolt of Light! and the world made sense once again.

Farr’s new ensemble indulges Paper and Sand fans with the expert level of songwriting we’ve come to expect, but subs in some alt-country charm for the barbed hooks of his former gig. What results is that familiar raw energy that erupts in your heart and sears through your veins with a burn that’ll last for days … stoked with the added benefit of keys and a little bit of banjo. If anyone has ever told you that the banjo can’t rock, Hurrah! proves them utterly wrong.

Farr's pulpy vocals are met with those of Bridget Buscemi on Hello!, Hurrah!’s full-length debut album, strutting upon the stunning drum work of Kenny Shaw. Doug Drewes draws a steady bass line across the track list, while keyboardist Jacob Pleakis and guitarist Adam Gould round out the radiant roster.

Some songs reappear from the band’s 2010 self-titled EP. “Devil on my Shoulder” gets a starring role, as Farr’s vocals rip through the ruckus like a tornado crashing a barn dance. He sings with an intensity that’s palpable, putting a vise grip on your soul until it bursts at the apex — a veritable coup of sonic elements coming together to blow you away. And that’s not even the best part of the album (I’ll save that for last).

Hurrah! A Bolt of Light! - Devil on my Shoulder

Hello! opens solid with “See You at the Bottom” — an easy introduction to what’s in store — but pockets its sweetest moves until after the warm-up. Farr’s Alabama roots surface on “Heart is Like a River,” putting country rock guitar in the forefront. “I Don’t Know Why” teases with tempo changes, playing out drummy verses against sinuous choruses, followed by “Everything You’ve Left Behind,” a sunny anthem custom-made to rouse a crowd.

Of all the shining moments that grace the 12-song album, the penultimate number flares like a flamethrower in the night. “One Drink” is a balls-out bar brawler that’ll send you straight to the moon. Be advised to listen to this song in a big open space, or you may end up tearing down walls in an adrenaline-fueled frenzy. Even the piano shreds on this monster as Farr hollers out “One drink is never enough, when you’re down on your luck, when you’re stuck in a rut.” Don’t be surprised if you need a neck brace after this one.

Hurrah! A Bolt of Light! - One Drink