Album Review: Longwave - Secrets are Sinister

American indie rock bank Longwave released their fourth studio album Secrets are Sinister today. I was excited to give my copy a spin. This is my first experience with Longwave so my familiarity with their previous releases is nil.

Wikipedia reports that the band has been compared to Radiohead and The Strokes. If this comparison holds any water then Secrets are Sinister diverts sharply. But when a comparison with Radiohead is made I find you can never take it too seriously.

The album begins with "Sirens In The Deep Sea," a rock anthem heavy on the guitars. The variation between the beefy guitar licks and calm vocals is enjoyable.

Track 2 is "No Direction" which begins with guitar feedback that is sustained throughout the verse. I started to form the opinion that the album might be a little too heavy on guitar. At least for the first two tracks the guitars seemed to get more focus than the vocals.

Track 3, same thing.

I have now written guitar in this review 6 times and we haven't gotten past track 3. This is fitting for an album with so much guitar (7 times)!

Personally, I love this album. I admire the different sounds Longwave gets from their guitar setup. But I wonder if those who don't dig guitar in extreme doses will feel the same. If you love crazy sounds that catch and keep your attention you should definitely give this album a try.

Update (11/13/08) - I am raising my grade to B+. The more I listen to this album the more I love it.

Update

I apologize for not posting this week. My Uncle passed away and it has been hectic because of that and many other reasons. I will get back on track next week.

Live Review: Ra Ra Riot at The Loft

As promised, I wanted to post my review of the Ra Ra Riot show featuring opening bands The Morning Benders and Walter Meego last Thursday.

The Loft is a club located upstairs and connected to The Palladium Ballroom. It is semi-large and very clean with a huge patio overlooking downtown Dallas. They don't allow smoking inside and don't have anything on the concert floor to distract from the main stage. A little humor in the night was the sign outside the Loft that read "Ra Ra Riots." I guess one riot was not enough.

I was extremely disappointed by the turn out for The Morning Benders. My conclusion is that Dallas goes to sleep early during the week. The Benders put on a great show for a small audience. They all appear to be extremely young, but dedicated to their music in mature fashion. Chris Chu, lead singer and guitarist, had an excellent voice. The feedback and poor sound quality made the guitar parts hard to distinguish and painfully treble at times. But these lads from Berkley, California worked through it and gained at least one fan (probably many more), The Captain.

Walter Meego was next. The audience was still small but people were beginning to trickle in. They were a fresh and pleasant surprise. The band consisted of Colin Yarck (playing so many different beat machines, keyboards and synths I couldn't begin to name them), Justin Sconza (vocals, guitar and keyboard) and Andrew Bernhardt (listed as live performer on guitar and keyboard). I am at a loss for words in describing the band. At times I felt like I was at a rave and at other times I felt like I was watching a 70's rock group.

Their myspace page has some music so you can listen for yourself, but honestly none of these songs do the band justice. I would not be exaggerating in saying that the band performed 10 times better than they sound on their recorded music. It was fun to watch Yarck get into the music and groove around as he worked on the different beat machines and keyboards. Just when you thought the band was centered around the beats of Yarck, Sconza and Bernhardt went into a shredding competition with quick guitar licks almost Vai-esque. Members of Ra Ra Riot joined the audience and moving to the beat was contagious for all.

Shortly after Meego's set Ra Ra Riot took the stage. By this time they had a decent audience, but I still questioned why there weren't more people at The Loft. I stood directly in front of the beautifil violinist Rebecca Zeller. I watched with great admiration as she laid down her violin licks and appeared completely taken away by the music.

The chemistry on stage was remarkable. You felt that you were watching a group of friends enjoying each other's company not just another band performing. Wes Miles' vocals were very tight, although a little quiet for me since I was right in front of Zeller's monitor. He was a true front man keeping the pace of the set on track and interacting with the audience.

Milo Bonnaci and Mathieu Santos, easily mistaken as brothers (Santos even mentioned this before the interview) were very tight on stage. This kept the music fun and exciting.

Drummer Gabriel Duquette was solid on the drums and able to endure a little criticism for his Janet Jackson t-shirt. I found the comments launched by the audience a little rude, considering he was probably just trying to raise awareness about this recently hospitalized singer.

On Cello, Alexandra Lawn was incredible. While being near perfect on her parts, she also sang back-up vocals and played the keyboard. Her performance on stage is very energetic and for someone playing a stationary instrument she gets around the stage.

There was a lot of energy felt by the audience. It was hard to find one person standing still. No mosh pits, but a lot of bouncing. My favorite song of the night was "Dying is Fine." Wes stood up on the drum set and got everyone in the crowd clapping the rhythm. If I had any complaint it would be that he didn't do things like that more giving me an opportunity to show my obsession with Ra Ra Riot.

Overall, a great show and the best $10 (plus all the Ticketmaster BS) I've ever spent.

Photo from andrewmaury.blogspot.com

You can check out a video showing parts of the show at the end at:

http://andrewmaury.blogspot.com/2008/10/southwest-from-hollywood-to-deserts.html

Album Review: Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

I admit it. I am bias. Ever since Oasis' drunken antics and egotistical interviews in the 1990s I have distanced myself from their music. Remember this -

"We're not arrogant, we just believe we're the best band in the world." -Noel Gallagher

Or this beauty -

"With every song that I write, I compare it to the Beatles. The thing is, they only got there before me. If I'd been born at the same time as John Lennon, I'd have been up there." -Noel Gallagher

Personality conflicts have reared their ugly heads oft in Oasis' career. Experiencing multiple line-up changes over the years one has to ask if Oasis would still be together if the Gallaghers weren't brothers. Probably not.

That all said, Oasis has put out some pretty good music over the years. Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory will always be seen as masterpieces. There are also a few gems in the rest of their catalog including "All Around The World" and "Go Let It Out."

How does Dig Out Your Soul compare? A balanced "good" in my opinion.

Oasis has beefed up their sound and the new edge is refreshing. The album begins with a catchy number "Bag It Up." It's heavy on guitar and tips the listener off to this being a rougher ride. On this song, and others Oasis does a nice job of balancing the guitars with strong choruses and good harmonies. Absent from this album is the over production so common in rock records today, and in some of Oasis' albums in the past. It is a very raw glimpse of the band.

Tracks such as "To Be Where There's Life" and "The Shock Of The Lightning" sound almost Foo Fighter and STP-esque.

As expected, the lyrics stretch for the creativity of The Beatles. Phrases such as "Gonna take a walk with a Monkey Man" and "She put an apple in my eye" call upon the ghosts of John Lennon but aren't enough to wake him.

Even with my bias, I still think this album is good. Not great. Not one of the best Oasis' albums ever. Not one of the best of the year. But good.

Other Reviews:

Snob's Music

Chewing Gum For The Ears

The Beat Review

The Panic Manual

Interview with Ra Ra Riot's Mathieu Santos

The Loft is a club located in the heart of Dallas, Texas. It is connected to The Palladium Ballroom and is literally a loft upstairs with a great view of the metroplex. I arrived at 8pm for my interview and called the very gracious Elise Markell (road manager for Ra Ra Riot). She directed me to the bar area to have an interview with Ra Ra Riot's bass player Mathieu Santos. As I entered, most of the band had stools pulled up to the bar and were scarfing down dinner while watching the Vice Presidential Debate. Music and politics - my two favorite subjects.

Mathieu immediately greeted me and in accomodating fashion asked where I wanted to conduct the interview. After thinking about it, he decided it would be best for us to sit at a table overshadowed by a large poster of U2. After a brief discussion of U2's greatness I started the interview. As the interview progressed it became more of a conversation, and a very enjoyable one.

Captain Melody (Drew Emmick): How long have you have played bass?
Mathieu Santos: Probably about 7 years, I think.

CM: And how old are you again?
MS: 23

CM: This is strictly a musician question, but what type of bass do you play?
MS: For a long time I played the Sting Model of the Fender Precision Bass – a 53’ reissue, which I love. But just a few weeks ago I got a brand new 57’ American Vintage Reissue Precision Bass which is awesome. It’s a bass I’ve wanted for a few years, and I finally got it.

CM: Another musician question; do you like to play with your fingers or with a pick? What is your preference? I used to play guitar but am transitioning to bass and playing with a pick is a lot easier.
MS: I never played any instrument before bass so I started playing with my fingers. Now I pretty much play with a pick all the time. It helps get more of a cutting tone. Especially with so many instruments in our band it helps to cut through all of the music.

CM: You all have been on a lot of tours this year. In fact, if my calculations are correct you’ve been on tour the majority of 2008.
MS: Definitely, and even the off time is misleading because even when we weren’t touring we were writing or doing promotional press stuff in New York.

CM: Do you continue to do house parties when you’re not on tour, or have you gotten away from that?
MS: We really don’t do anything like that. I guess it’s not really related, but we went back to Syracuse and we recorded for a couple days in an attic there - sort of reminiscent of house party days. But that’s as close as we got.

CM: Did you start your latest tour before or after the release of your album?
MS: The day the album came out we did an in-store performance at Virgin Music in New York City. Right after that, we went abroad for a week and came back to do Conan O’Brien.

CM: That was a great performance.
MS: Thank you. It was actually terrifying. I’m a huge Conan fan, which I think is why it was a particulary scary experience. Normally I don’t get too nervous before playing anywhere. I wasn’t nervous about being on TV but by the fact it was on Conan. In my mind I assumed we would meet him ahead of time. But we didn’t meet him at all. We kept seeing him getting ready and it was intimidating. We got onstage and all of a sudden we were on the air and he introduced us. He came over to us afterwards and talked for a little bit. We just shot the shit; it was cool.

CM: Starting your current tour shortly after the release of “The Rhumb Line” have you had time to enjoy the album's success? It peaked at #17 in independent albums and broke Billboard’s top 200 at #109. The album has been very successful. Have you been able to enjoy that?
MS: Well, we’ve been getting updates on sales every week while we’ve been on the road. But I think the biggest indicator that we’ve seen is we’ve toured the States extensively the last couple years and we’ve done pretty well. We were starting to get fans in all different kinds of markets. But since the album has been out it’s made a huge difference in turn-out. We’ve had really good crowds at every show. People sing along to all of the songs on the album, which is really great to see. People are more familiar with us, and just having a reason to tour aside from having people learn about the band- actually having an album to promote makes a huge difference. It’s been great so far. It’s been overwhelmingly positive.

CM: When recording the album did you have a set number of songs, or did you record more material and narrow it down? Are there any B-sides?
MS: The way the album was done was on a minute basis – we had to have X number of minutes. It ended up coming down to the wire where we almost didn’t have enough material. We had 10 songs at first and then one of them we weren’t able to use so we had to scramble, which is why the Kate Bush cover is on the album. That was originally going to be a B-side but we ended up having to put it on. All we have for B-sides are like demos. Pretty much we play every song we know every night. And it’s happened before where we played all of the songs, so when we came out for an encore and played our 1 extra song - I guess that would be our 1 B-side that we never recorded, another Kate Bush cover, Hounds of Love.

CM: I take it you are Kate Bush fans?
MS: Huge. Wes, our singer got us into her. We came out and played that for the encore. Then we were asked to do a second encore and we had no more songs to play, so we had to play a song twice. Hopefully soon we will begin working on new material to have some more songs to play.

CM: Do you have an estimation on when you will have enough time away from touring to begin writing new material?
MS: We just started discussing it realistically the other day. And we took a couple of weeks a month ago to start working on new ideas. And then we might have a week or two in January. It’s kind of a bad time to tour. We’re going to be touring a lot next year supporting the album so I don’t know. We would like to get a second album out as soon as possible because we are really excited about that.

CM: Your album was released internationally this week. When you go over to the UK do you expect bigger turn-outs because of the album?
MS: Hopefully. None of us have heard how it’s doing. The album being released in the States was such a big deal for us and we’ve been so busy lately. It was almost like, “Oh, our album came out today in Europe and the UK.” We haven’t really been following it closely. I know a bunch of magazines are reviewing it, and the last time we were in London we had really good turn-outs to all of the shows. A lot of it will be the same type of thing where people are more aware and familiar with the songs.

CM: How about Canada? You recently toured there.
MS: We just had a great show in Vancouver – that was presently surprising since we’ve only played there once before. That was great. We played Toronto a few times. Toronto is great. It’s always a great music city. Tons of people come out and they really support the bands and not just the headliners. We played Montreal a couple times. We’ve had a hard time getting a reaction there. Not to make any generalizations but every time we go to Canada we have terrible luck with having our van broken into. 3 times now – 2 successful and 1 attempted robbery.

CM: Did they take your gear?
MS: No, never our gear. The first time was bad. They broke a window and stole all of our laptops, digital cameras and cell phones. This last time we were being super vigilant and they somehow stole our navigation system while we were loading. That’s bold. When we were in Toronto we were in a venue for 10 minutes and someone had pried off the lock of our door with a screwdriver but nothing was taken. That was in the middle of the day – really bizarre. Other than that, Canada is good.

CM: I’ve noticed while maintaining my blog that many Canadians follow independent music. In fact, I learned of Ra Ra Riot through a Canadian blog.
MS: They are really into music. The first time we played Toronto there were 300 people. And that was without the label promoting us.

CM: What are your influences? I am sure it varies throughout the band.
MS: It does vary from person to person. The common ground of the band is U2, Police, DEVO, Beatles and classic stuff like that. We are all big Beatles fans. I’m reading the Bob Spitz biography right now. I read it every time we are on tour, because its so fascinating. Pretty much the common ground is classic music like that. The Talking Heads is another one.

CM: I wanted to ask you about the drummer you are touring with – what is his name?
MS: His name is Gabriel Duquette. He was playing drums in another band Sam Buck Rosen from New York who is amazing. If you don’t know them already you should look them up. We played a few shows with them. Actually, Wes lived with Sam, Ezra from Vampire Weekend and also Dave from Dirty Projectors. So we knew Sam and played a few shows. They were incredible. Gabe was an amazing drummer and we took note right away. The drummer we had at the time decided to go to college because he was only 18 or 19. Once he left we asked Gabe if he was interested.

CM: Was this right before the release of the album?
MS: Yeah, this was the middle of July because we had to make the decision quickly. He came to Wes’s house for a few weeks and we rehearsed together. And then we went right into it.

CM: Do you consider him a permanent member of the band?
MS: Not yet. We haven’t made that decision or even had that discussion yet. He’s between a live musician and a regular member. I think the way we left it is we would tour a few months together and see how everyone felt. So far it’s been going very well and we will probably have a better idea once we start working on new material.

CM: I’ve read a lot of interviews and it seems like people want to ask questions about John Pike and what happened to him. Personally, I think it’s rude because I its something you’ve gone through that is special to you all. I did want to ask though, when I was researching for the interview I went through a lot of the information on his memorial fund and the ideas for it and felt they were great ideas – a great cause. Is the foundation still planning to move forward?
MS: First of all, thank you for your respect of the matter. It’s something that does inevitably come up in all the interviews. And while it is mostly handled tastefully by people, it is something big to deal with.

CM: When you do research on what happened and the impact on the band you see how important he was to the band – not just as a musician but as a friend and inspiration. It’s clearly evident that you didn’t just lose a band member, but a friend that has inspired many, many people.
MS: That’s 100 percent true. Thank you also for doing research because a lot of times people ask really strange, very weird questions about him. You are totally right about him, and how important he was and still is. The foundation is still going strong. We had a big benefit for it last Christmas. We played with Vampire Weekend and Tokyo Police Club – two bands that we were friends with when John was still in the band. We raised a lot of money then. We still raise money on the road, donating some of our merchandise money to it.

CM: Was the library ever set up?
MS: I’m not really sure if that has been completely setup yet. I’ve been to the website a few times and it hasn’t been updated recently. But I know that they are still raising money and working through the emotion to make it a reality.

CM: What keeps you together and strong on the road? I know that it can be a trying time for some bands as personality conflicts rise to the surface.
MS: Do you mean touring in regards to John’s passing?
CM: No, just in general.
MS: Actually, it’s a pretty nice group to deal with. One thing that surprised me in the beginning is a lot of bands form out of people that are friends. But in our case it was mostly - I didn’t know anyone in the band. We were pretty much all strangers when the band started so I assumed at the time – with 6 or 7 people – it would be difficult for everyone to get a long without having known each other. But that has actually helped us because we got to learn about each other at the same time. It has been fun. We have a really complex and delicate dynamic but its been a lot of fun. It’s more like a family. It’s very family-like. Obviously, not to bring it back up, but losing John – he was such a big part of the group dynamic. That was the hardest part of the whole thing. We know we needed to continue. That was the right thing. It was hard doing all of those things without him. It’s been a year now and it has just started to feel like things are getting back to normal. But when you are stuck with the same people and you know everything about them, you learn how to appreciate them.

CM: In doing my research I learned that Aly and Rebecca previously played classical music and had to transition to being in a rock band. Was it interesting seeing them go from that style to playing rock music and touring?
MS: Totally. They have been great and they love it. They made the transition pretty aimlessly. It seemed like something everyone individually wanted to do for whatever reason. I can imagine for them, playing classical music for years and years, getting to do something like this was probably really exciting and refreshing. I’m not sure either of them had aspirations to be classical musicians their whole lives and this was a nice way for them to get back to playing music – trying new things. I remember the first practice we had. We were working on Dying is Fine and playing it over and over. They came up with great parts. You could tell they wanted to play and were excited and curious about it. I think they are doing very well.

CM: Comparing being on V2 and now being signed to Barsuk do you notice a difference in tour support?
MS: We are still on V2. We signed with V2 first which still supports us worldwide excluding North America. We signed to Barsuk here.

CM: So Barsuk handles North American and V2 handles everywhere else?
MS: Right. Shortly after we signed to V2 they were bought by Universal and it hasn’t really gotten back on track for them yet. We haven’t really gotten full support. But I think the biggest change we’ve noticed is touring the States, and like I said before, this goes a long way with having the album to support. By having the label behind us, with their name behind us and the marketing and the press - they have a team working to help us - we are so happy with Barsuk. We know everyone that works there on a first name basis. It is really nice to know we have that support.

CM: My last question – You all were watching the VP debate when I arrived. Are you interested in that, in politics?
MS: Yeah, I’ve never been really into politics myself, even though my dad is a politician.

CM: In New York?
MS: In Massachusetts actually. He is the clerk magistrate. But aside from that, I’ve always stayed away from politics. Now that I’m getting older it’s playing a bigger role in my life. Wes is the most political person in the band. He is always updating us with news reports and what is going on. Although, I have taken an interest in this current election, because how important it is and how huge of a difference there is because of the candidates. I think we were really into this debate because we were waiting for Sarah Palin to say something insane.

CM: You don’t have to put it on the record, but which candidate do you support?
MS: Yeah, I’m with Obama. We usually don’t discuss politics within the context of the band.

CM: Do you want me to not talk about it, or include it?
MS: No, you can say I am voting for Barack Obama. I am an Obama-weight.

Stay tuned for my review of the Ra Ra Riot show with The Morning Benders and Walter Meego.

Desperate Musicians?

Tokyo Police Club will make an appearance on ABC's Desperate Housewives. The men on the show form a band to compete in a battle of the bands that will include TPC. Nice.

Source: Pitchfork
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/146253-tokyo-police-club-to-guest-on-desperate-housewives

Who is The Featured Artists' Coalition?

British musicians have joined together to fight for musicians keeping rights to songs, and not the record labels. Because of the Internet and other music outlets musicians are often "left out" when their songs are distributed.

Most notable members of the coalition are Radiohead, Robbie Williams and Kaiser Chiefs.

Source: MSN
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx/?news=333536

Butch Vig rears his ugly head again

Fresh off producing The Subways latest release All or Nothing it has been reported that Butch Vig will produce Green Day's next album. In other news... WHO CARES?

Source: Punknews.org

http://www.punknews.org/article/30725

The Hold Steady cancelling shows due to illness

Due to Tad Kubler's bout with pancreatitis the band has been forced to reschedule or cancel upcoming shows.

10-04 Bristol, England - Anson Rooms
10-05 Nottingham, England - Rock City
10-06 Portsmouth, England - Pyramids
10-08 London, England - Roundhouse
10-09 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino
10-11 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
10-12 Cologne, Germany - Luxor
10-13 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
10-15 Oslo, Norway - Rockerfeller
10-16 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Slussen
10-17 Goteborg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers
10-19 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
10-20 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
10-21 Vienna, Austria - WUK
10-22 Munich, Germany - Ampere

Many of these shows have been rescheduled for December.

Source: Pitchfork
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/146201-the-hold-steady-cancel-even-more-shows

Album Review: Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight

I regretably admit (risking that my indie music lover card may be pulled) this is the first Mercury Rev album I have listened to. They have simply gone under my radar. I have seen the name, thinking it was pretty cool, but I was never motivated to actually check them out.

Mercury Rev combines peppy yet ambient music with spacey samples in their latest release Snowflake Midnight. The voice of Jonathan Donahue is very similar to Tim DeLaughter of Tripping Daisy and Polyphonic Spree. Some may disagree with that comparison but I seriously had flash backs to the many Daisy shows I went to. This voice combined with the trance-like music makes a good match (in my opinion of course).

Overall this album was enjoyable. It is music that you can lose yourself in. It can become a muse for deep thinking. It is experimental and from the other reviews I have read it is a new frontier for the band. Some have found this unpleasing when comparing this album to their body of work -

Mercury Rev has officially lost me. I found no enjoyment in listening to Snowflake Midnight and couldn't help but feel that the band has been transformed from cutting edge Alternative Rock into a New Age enigmas. -Dennis Scanland on Music Emmisions

For me, Snowflake Midnight has peaked my curiosity in Mercury Rev, even if it isn't a good representation of their other albums.

Other Reviews:

Snob's Music

If you have a review of this album please let me know at captainmelody@gmail.com

Myspace Mondays - Young and Brave

This week's featured band hails from Dallas, Texas. Young and Brave, self proclaimed Indie Americana, features two vocalists - Jon McKnight and Sarah Lynn Fisher. The band works together to provide a great balance of sound and tempo.

Songs Arms and Giant feature McKnight singing to upbeat instrumentation. His voice gives both songs an indie rock flavor. On You'll Never Get Out and No Sympathy the band brings down the tempo and is led by the beautiful voice of Fisher. Throughout, multi-instrumentalist Matt Shasteen adds depth and variation to the band's overall sound playing lead guitar, various synth instruments and a xylophone.

Their myspace page features 4 studio recorded songs and 2 live performances. Heavy in talent and potential I recommend you check Young and Brave out!

http://www.myspace.com/youngandbravetx

Album Review: Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger

Andrew McMahon, front man of Jack's Mannequin, embodies determination. It is not a secret that McMahon has had his fair share of adversity. While enjoying success with piano rock band Something Corporate and additional praise for his side project Jack's Mannequin, his world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. After 6 months of treatment, that prevented him from performing live, he played for the first time post-diagnosis on December 2nd, 2005.

Not only did McMahon recover from cancer but he became a strong voice for cancer research. He has played several benefits for cancer foundations and even started his own, The Dear Jack Foundation.

Jack's Mannequin was formed in 2004 to be an outlet for music McMahon didn't feel belonged in the Something Corporate cannon. With the release of The Glass Passenger it appears to have become a release for McMahon's experiences and hardships. It is an open and intimate record. Though McMahon wanted to avoid a "cancer record" as he stated in an interview last year, the album provides glimpses into his life.

Songs such as "Caves" paint a portrait of his pain and peace. And the song titled "Hammer and Strings" is a tale of being on the road communicating with a friend. The lyrics are beautiful -

These hammers and strings
Been following me around
Behind passenger vans
Through the snow, dirt, and sands
Of 1000 American towns
And my friend calls me up
With her heart heavy still
She says,
"Andy, the doctors
Prescribed me the pills.
But I know I'm not crazy.
I just lost my will.
So why am I, why am I
Taking them still?"

McMahon's vocals are spectacular. They remind me of Death Cab with more "umph." The instrumentation is incredible. It is very balanced, sometimes soft and sometimes rough in the right places. The sound of the album is not revolutionary. It is alternative music that is very radio friendly.

The greatest strength of this record is how easily the listener can connect with the lyrics and melodies. I found myself reflecting on my own life while listening to this album, and I walked away feeling a connection with McMahon.

This might just be my favorite album of the year.

Other Reviews:

Alan's World

If you have a review you would like me to link up to please email me at captainmelody@gmail.com

2,000 Visitors

Captainmelody.com had it's 2,000th visitor today. I think this calls for a celebration. I wanted to extend my thanks to the many friends I have made and the music I have experienced while maintaining this blog. Since starting it on August 5th of this year it has been awesome.

Countries that have visited Captainmelody.com -

United States

Canada

Germany

Australia

South Africa

Italy

Norway

France

Mexico

Sweden

United Kingdom

Czech Republic

Vietnam

Brazil

Netherlands

Argentina

Malaysia

New Zealand

Venezuela

China

Denmark

Japan

Chile

Belgium

Singapore

Philippines

Album Review: Ani DiFranco - Red Letter Year

It is said that becoming a parent often changes and matures you. This holds true for Ani DiFranco. When being interviewed about the release of her latest album Red Letter Year DiFranco stated,"I think I sorely needed to be slowed down and finally a little person came along powerful enough to do it."

DiFranco's daughter, Petah Lucia DiFranco Napolitano, was born January 20th, 2007 and has had a calming effect on the popular musician whose albums have often included intense rants and screams. Red Letter Year is void of this, and shows a different, more relaxed side of DiFranco.

"When I listen to my new record, I hear a very relaxed me, which I think has been absent in a lot of my recorded cannon. Now I feel like I'm in a really good place. My partner Mike Napolitano co-produced this record - my guitar and voice have never sounded better, and that's because of him. I've got this great band and crew. Any my baby, she teaches me how to just be in my skin, to do less and be more."

What is not absent from this album is the themes of politics, war, and social pressures; common themes in all of DiFranco's music. Lyrics such as "I can't pray to a male god because that would be insane" or "I can't support the troops cuz every last one of them is being duped" from the song "Alla This" will surely have familiarity with longtime fans.

But intimate songs such as "Present/Infant" which describes DiFranco's struggles as a mother are sure to connect with new listeners that may not fully ascribe to DiFranco's political and social views.

Of worthy note, DiFranco recorded the album in New Orleans and it features Louisiana artists The Rebirth Brass Band on "Red Letter Reprise," Richard Comeaux and CC Adcock.

Not being a strong fan of DiFranco I had to approach Red Letter Year with an open mind. In doing so, I was very pleased. The production of the album is top quality. DiFranco's lyrics are true poetry, and her voice soothes the soul. The different combinations of styles of music, and the changing tempo throughout keep this album alive and entertaining. The passion behind the music makes it magic.

Favorite Tracks: Present/Infant, Emancipated Minor, The Atom

Metacritic Score: 76

The Wednesday Roundup

Original Glazed has a new blog - The Beat Review. Check out this post on the video for Keane's new single "Spiralling."

Both Chewing Gum For Ears and Snob's Music sound off on Ben Folds' new release Way To Normal.

Test Pilots has a post on poet/musician George Pringle. She is very interesting and I have spent the last day learning all I can about her.

Album Review: Ben Folds - Way To Normal

I was going to post a review on this album, but I just read Chewing Gum For Ears' review and it captured my thoughts completely.

Click here for review of Ben Folds - Way To Normal

On my scale I give it a B-.

The Dears - New LP and Tour

It's probably old news by now, but The Dears will release their LP Missiles on October 21st and will be on tour. Part of the tour will be with Secret Machines.

09-30 Waterloo, Ontario - Starlight Room

10-01 Hamilton, Ontario - The Casbah

10-02 Montreal, Quebec - Masonic Temple (Pop Montréal)

10-09 Toronto, Ontario - Music Gallery

10-10 Toronto, Ontario - Music Gallery

10-16 London, England - Portchester Hall

10-21 Boston, MA - Great Scott

10-22 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's

10-23 New York, NY - Hiro Ballroom (CMJ)

10-24 Chicago, IL - Metro *

10-25 Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre *

10-27 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *

10-28 Aspen, CO - Belly Up *

10-30 West Hollywood, CA - Keyclub *

11-01 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up *

11-03 San Francisco, CA - The Independent *

11-05 Portland, OR - Berbati's *

11-06 Seattle, WA - Neumos *

11-07 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards *

11-21 The Hague, Netherlands - Koninklijk Theater (Crossing Border Festival)

11-24 Milan, Italy - La Casa

11-27 Paris, France - La Flèche d'Or

* with Secret Machines

Other Albums...

I had a chance to listen to the albums below. Check out their score.

Kings of Leon: Only By The Night - F

I am not a fan of Kings of Leon and definitely not a fan of this album. On the scale of mediocrity this scores pretty low.

For a better and more in-depth review visit:
http://chewinggumfortheears.blogspot.com/2008/09/review-kings-of-leon-only-by-night.html

TV On The Radio: Dear Science - C

Boring. Boring. Boring.

For a better and more in-depth review visit:
http://chewinggumfortheears.blogspot.com/2008/09/review-tv-on-radio-dear-science.html

Brightblack Morning Light: Motion to Rejoin - B-

Dim the lights, get comfortable and enjoy a pleasurable ride. Just like Stereolab it's not great, but I can't deny I enjoy it.

Album Review: Jenny Lewis - Acid Tounge

Acid Tongue is actor/musician Jenny Lewis's second solo album. Lewis, member of the successful Rilo Kiley, has an extensive music resume. In addition to be being the main voice of Rilo Kiley she also contributed to the legendary collaborative effort of Ben Gibbard and Dntel known as The Postal Service. She also sang on indie band Cursive's 2004 release The Ugly Organ, and on her first solo album Rabbit Fur Coat, released in 2006, she worked with Conor Oberst, M. Ward, James Valentine (of Maroon 5), and once again Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. If this wasn't enough in her youth Lewis also had a decent acting career and appeared in several TV series.

Lewis returned to Rilo Kiley's country roots when recording Rabbit Fur Coat. While definitely indie rock, the chord progressions and slide guitars give the album a heavy dose of western flavor. It is an intimate and incredible journey. I recommend it to anyone that is a fan of Rilo Kiley or edgy indie folk music (did I just create a genre?) with great lyrics.

Acid Tongue employs more of an indie pop feel. Her overall sound is roughed up throughout the album. Dirty is the word that comes to mind when comparing solo albums. Rabbit Fur Coat was a very balanced approach, while Acid Tongue is more gritty.

Overall, I enjoyed this album. I did not feel the same intimate connection I had with Rabbit Fur Coat. The feeling of sitting on the front porch with Lewis telling stories just doesn't exist like it did on her previous release.

But Lewis has a way to brighten songs (and your day) with her voice, and for that this album is worth checking out.

Album Review: Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty

I am a newcomer to Cold War Kids. I first heard about them while doing research for my interview with Delta Spirit. It was indeed Cold War Kids that gave Delta Spirit their first tour spot. After listening to their new album Loyalty to Loyalty (thanks Chris) I was hooked.

Loyalty to Loyalty is Cold War Kids' 2nd full album release. They released several EPs in 2006 and 2007 following their debut Robbers and Cowards. The band formed in 2004 in Fullerton, California and consists of Nathan Willett (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Jonnie Russell (guitar, vocals, percussion), Matt Maust (bass guitar), and Matt Aveiro (drums).

This album begins with the powerful "Against Privacy." Nathan Willett's vocals are reminiscent of Jeff Buckley. The song has a blues feel to it with dirty guitar solos.

The Jeff Buckley comparison can only take me so far, but I had some of the same feelings while listening to this album that I did when I first heard Buckley's Grace. The vocals are full of raw energy. The lyrics are deep. And the music creates a bluesy yet energetic atmosphere. The combination of rock and blues elements creates an awesome sound that is very enjoyable.

I must admit, there isn't a lot of variation of sound on this album. As a result, it can become boring after the 5th or 6th track.

Favorite Songs: Against Privacy, Golden Gate Jumpers

On Tour:

09 24 08/ Henry Fonda / Los Angeles, CA
09 25 08/ Great American Music Hall / San Francisco, CA
09 26 08/ Great American Music Hall / San Francisco, CA
09 27 08/ Wonder Ballroom / Portland Oregon
09 28 08/ Richards On Richards / Vancouver, B.C., Canada
09 29 08/ The Showbox at the Market / Seattle, Washington
10 01 08/ The Neurolux / Boise, Idaho
10 02 08/ In The Venue / Salt Lake City, Utah
10 03 08/ Boulder Theatre / Boulder, Colorado
10 10 08/ Fine Line Music Cafe / Minneapolis, Minnesota
10 11 08 Vic Theare / Chicago, Illinois
10 14 08/ Paradise Rock Club / Boston, Massachusetts
10 15 08/ Webster Hall / New York, New York
10 16 08/ Williamsburg Music Hall / Brooklyn, New York
10 17 08/ Theatre of Living Arts / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10 18 08/ Nightclub 9:30 / Washington, D.C.
10 20 08/ Cat’s Cradle / Carrabo, North Carolina
10 21 08/ Mercy Lounge / Nashville, Tennessee
10 23 08/ Lola’s / Ft. Worth, Texas
10 24 08/ Emo’s Alt Lounge-Outside / Austin, Texas
10 25 08/ Warehouse Live / Houston, Texas
10 26 08/ Voodoo Music Experience / New Orleans, Louisiana