American Royalty are band out of L.A. that walk a line between soul-driven rock and electronic/synth elements. Certainly not a new combination, no, but AR combine those sounds in a way not quite done before. Like the music really is soulful, it’s got great feel and you believe these guys when they namecheck a Motown or Stax influence. The electronic bits are complementary, coherent and do give the music, especially here on “Matchstick” an interesting texture. Let us know what you think.
Chicago collective Company of Thieves recently cut this stripped-down cover of Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down”. The band adds a sweet authentic touch to the classic which features a starlit vocal from lead singer Genevieve Schatz, helping give anyone a reason to stand their ground.
You can also take a look at a live performance of the song below with some additional tunes and interview coverage courtesy of the good peeps at Lightbox Sessions.
Company of Thieves – Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty Cover)
Here comes an ass kicking all the way from Oslo, Norway. It’s the headringing female-fronted grunge punk of Scandinavians Dark Times. This is “Distrust”.
Wirral’s finest, The Coral put a lovely spin on a Byrds classic. Somewhere in the Irish Sea, with his sail cascading in the wind, ship captain, seafarer, and musical savant, David Crosby is channeling the voice of James Skelly and drawing inspiration for his next nomadic tale (well, maybe not). The Coral are always at their best, and their rendition of “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better” is right on cue.
The Coral – I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Byrds Cover)
Is there anything the Swedes can’t do right? Sexy crime fiction, metaphysical art-house flicks, even paid paternity leave from work when the momma has a child! Simian Ghost’s first single off the forthcoming Youth LP, entitled “Wolf Girl”, is an absolute delight and sure to perpetuate Sweden’s post capitalistic superiority. The crisp production values (#lovethefadein) set the stakes, but the arrangement is solid with lyrics considerably more fluent than those coming from some native Anglophone acts. The music video runs with the trippy, baroque-twee vibe and even throws a pillow fight into the mix. The Sebastian Arnström (of Aerials) project is sure to have many in Sweden thinking spring.
Big Black Delta opened an encore, night two, performance for M83 at Club Nokia in Downtown LA this past Friday. For those unfamiliar with the B3SCI top 50 in 2011 track-makers, BBD is the current project of Mellowdrone’s Jonathan Bates. It was great seeing him back, as I’ve long hoped for a new Mellowdrone project. If Mellowdrone had a certain Beck vibe, then Big Black Delta often reminds me of the darker synth music coming out of England in the late 80’s. Still their music maintains a winning freshness. The band arrived on stage pre-approved by M83 (Big Black Delta appeared on M83’s “Midnight City” remix EP) with Bates singing and working layers of synths and backing tracks accompanied by two female drummers. Bates moved in a herky-jerky way that made total sense and came off as likable in the lower-key environment. Those close to the stage got to see and hear a solid show from the up and coming LA based project. Jason Bates is a strong front man, especially with good songs like “Huggin & Kissin” under his belt.
M83’s live show is ready for prime time. Oh wait, they ARE prime time thanks to the massive success of “Midnight City”. Especially having completed two sold-out nights at Club Nokia, only two months after they played at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood. To be fair, it’s more than just the hit song that has brought them to this level. M83 has had a stellar live show all along. I will admit to not being a fan of Club Nokia, as the sound frankly sucks for most artists. The décor of the place seems to be geared more to the downtown velvet rope crowd. Either way, M83 cut through and delivered a show that reached everyone. From “Intro” into “Teen Angst” and then “Kim & Jesse”, it was immediately apparent that M83’s progressive synth-pop has taken on a rock-sized presence that will allow their show to work anywhere.
Leader Anthony Gonzalez freely admits to being uneasy in the role of front man, but M83’s style doesn’t require an outsized character. He actually fits the role quite well even if he has appeared less at ease in the past. I’d contest that the slower songs didn’t work as well as everything else, but really that’s just a minor concern. “Midnight City” was as expected the highlight of the evening. The hit seemed to come all too soon even though it was song number twelve in the set. This band may be known for being fairly low-key, but there were times when standing or sitting still was virtually out of the question. Most were even raving upstairs in the often jaded balcony, not only for the hit, but for the hot second encore “Couleurs”. The Frenchman Gonzalez has lived in LA for the past two years, so this week was very much a home town win for him. He and the band seemed genuinely blown away by the size of the crowd as well as the response. They will hit Coachella in April, and I fully expect their show to be a festival highlight.
Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
“Shiny Things” is a catchy and up-tempo number previewed from the forthcoming and sophomore LP, Rooms Filled With Light, by UK lads Fanfarlo. Check out the rhythmic gymnastics themed video for the song below and be sure to catch the band on tour as they gig though Spring 2012 with a culminating set at Coachella in Indio, CA.
2/22 – Leeds, UK @ The Wardrobe
2/23 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
2/24 – Newcastle, UK @ Cluny
2/25 – Liverpool, UK @ Static Gallery
2/27 – Bristole, UK @ Thekla
2/29 – Brighton, UK @ Tiger Club
3/01 – London, UK @ Scala
3/05 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
3/06 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
3/07 – Wahsington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
3/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
3/09 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
3/10 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
3/13 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
3/14 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft
3/15-18 – Austion, TX @ South by Southwest
3/19 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill
3/20 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
3/22 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
3/23 – Ann Arbor, MU @ The Blind Pig
3/24 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
3/25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
3/27 – Columbus, OH @ Skully’s
3/28 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
3/29 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
3/31 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
4/01 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
4/03 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird
4/05 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
4/06 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
4/07 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
4/09 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore
4/10 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Cafe
4/15 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
4/17 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
4/22 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
Hey every band from the past thirty years! Josef K called! They’d like their royalty check now! How fitting that fellow Scots Franz Ferdinand would be indebted right down to a name similarly lifted from the dawn of modernism. It’s impossible to do Kafka justice, but Josef K sure gives it a good shot on their only album, The Only Fun In Town. “It’s Kinda Funny” was recorded, according to frontman Paul Haig, in the shadow of Ian Curtis’s death. It’s one of the few albums from the period which can go toe-to-toe with the Mancunians.
“Golden Isles” new off Portland band Grandparents’ FUMES is GREAT. Sure it’s a little bit derivative (see if you can pick some of the influences out yourself.) but any of that derivative-ness (derivaty?) is of things we really like. It’s jangly, but it’s also sort of surreal sounding, it’s poppy (there are some excellent melodies from chorus to verse) but it’s also dark. Get familiar below.
Fidlar is showing up on various lists of bands to watch for 2012, including the NME. LA Weekly has them as #1 on their Top Local Bands To Be Huge in 2012. They’ve been smoking it at various live shows, including a sleepless run at CMJ 2011 in New York. They recently came to hang on my Moheak “Go Deep” show tracked at Wavaflow in Los Feliz. More on the live set and interview here or check it out below. – Bruce
Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.
“Young Heart” comes from new Brooklyn collective Fast Years. The track goes near polar-throwback in it’s tendencies towards nostalgic Garage and Pop. Especially for those letting a renaissance of bands like The Vaccines still sink in. Fast Years will be opening for Howler in their hometown later this January.
Bands like Houndmouth are why rock and roll can never die. When there’s great songs involved, there will always be people that can pick up their guitars and channel the sounds that we’ve heard for decades in exciting ways. Keeping cuts like “Houston Train” and “Penitentiary” on repeat makes me want to dig back in my record collection to listen to some of the classic rock records that got me into music in the first place. With only three tunes to their name and a debut EP expected in early spring, Houndmouth are well worth the 10 minutes of press play that you see below.
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