STRIPMALL ARCHITECTURE

STRIPMALL ARCHITECTURE
FEATHERONSGS for FACTORY GIRLS

Ryan and Rebecca Coseboom, members of San Francisco’s Halou, craft dreamy and scratchy Casio music on this new release, five songs of multilayered and lofty dreamy pop music that seems to care more about ambiance and emotion than force-fed ideas. In Halou, working with DJ Shadow and Cocteau Twin’s Robin Guthrie, has paid off. On ‘Sing Along, My Children’ its easy to hear the beats ok UNKLE and DJ Shadow tracks from the past. Feathersongs is rich in texture and Rebecca’s singing and spoken word cadence wraps the whole like a pretty, worn blanket. Rebecca has a sinewy, computer and candy coated vocal style that feels unnaturally mirrored to the synth and staccato mechanized beats and melodies on Feathersongs. This music has been worked before – think Portishead by way of PC Kahuna. There’s no slight intended – Stripmall Architecture has delivered something that’s meaningful and memorable, definitely music to be embraced and replayed. ‘There’s Only So Much Light’ is a highlight among the five great tracks here. She sings, “There’s only so much light…There’s only so much love/You take more than your share.” For dreamy pop its saying a lot, while doing it in a way that raises the bar.

The cd/album is part one of a two disc offering. Part 2 will arrive later. Can be purchased on amazon.com for $7.95.

-Brian Tucker

Young Mothers

YOUNG MOTHERS
Come On, The Cross b/w Good Swords
7” release limited to 500 copies

Young Mothers’ debut single on Fort Lowell Records is a hearty and fun surprise. The seven incher, pressed on nuclear green vinyl, is a delight. Its a yin and yang of emotion rich in catchy melodies and grounded efficacy. On “Come On, The Cross” the band delivers an atypical pop song that is both feverish and sugar laced. It echoes artists like Matthew Sweet and the monochromatic backbeat of T.Rex. On “Good Swords” the track segues from tender Elliot Smith balladry to guttural vocals the likes of Dave Grohl. It’s a tender song that attacks and heals inside just a few minutes, like sudden rage in the midst of trying to hold back tears. Singer Zachary Bennett Toporek does a lot with small amounts, like ending an uplifting lyric like “So lift up your voice and sing for me” before growling through the rest of his sinewy vocals. It’s a beautiful song that belies genre typing. Toporek pours it on, making the b-side somewhat more engaging and memorable than its counterpart. Young Mothers released Arts & Crafts in 2008 to much acclaim. But these tracks show something interesting on the horizon for the band.

-Brian Tucker

Limited to 500 copies, this 7” vinyl can be purchased at Fort Lowell Records for $5.99 or at Amazon.com. Release date: June 8, 2010

fortlowell@gmail.com

http://www.amazon.com/Come-Cross-7-Inch-Vinyl/dp/B003BWQE5O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280165132&sr=1-1

PANDA RIOT

PANDA RIOT
Far and near EP

The syncopated and manufactured sounds on Far and Near push beyond a simple defining metaphor - of leaving the world, floating away to someplace better. But it works. For all of Panda Riot’s ironic namesake the truth is the triumphant singing that penetrates most of ‘Julie in Time’ and much of the album feels uplifting, devoid of irony, devoid of anything harmful. Chicago's Panda Riot achieves something beyond shoegaze and ambiance/synth harmonics. It’s peaceful and cool simultaneously, a dreamy trip that ends too quickly but needlessly wants for more spins. Far and Near is at times angelic, vocals that are delightfully unearthly and music that echoes The Cure if they played completely uplifting melodies with restraint. The six songs at work here seem to flow into one long piece, the whole like a brilliant moment in time, the imagery brought about by the imaginative listener. Choice cuts: ‘When You Said/When I Said’ and ‘Julie in Time.’

Set for release May 11, 2010

Brian Tucker

DIAMOND CENTER Q&A

Q&A with

The Diamond Center's

Kyle Harris

How long has the band been together?

We started writing Jan of '07

You’ve grown from a duo by adding Brandi Price’s sister. Is the bandcontinuing to grow/add new members?
It is. In fact since moving to Richmond, (Jana didn't move) we have a bass player (Will Godwin), and 2! drummers (Tim Falen & Willis Thompson {also of Thao & the Get Down Stay Down}) both playing in the standup/ no cymbal style that Jana started. If I had my way, we'd be and 11 piece!I’ve read The Diamond Center began as a project in Athens, Georgia.

Were Kyle and Brandi attending college there at the time and why was it viewed as a project?
We were both living in Athens, I (Kyle) had been in bands in and around Athens/Atlanta for several years including one with Brandi. We had mostly been bass players in other groups. Upon writing, we realized we both wanted to play more guitar. We wrote 10 songs in Jan-Feb and recruited some friends in Athens to play and record with us. By March, we had a cd-r only release- CLAWS & FLAWS.

To what degree is The Diamond Center different from its earliest incarnation? How did areas you’ve lived in – Lubbock or Athens, influence the music that you’ve made?
For the first batch of songs, we were just trying somewhat different styles. It's a little more erratic. Moving to Lubbock really helped us find our sound. The landscape is very flat. Scrub desert, high winds, tumbleweeds, prairie dogs, the whole west Texas bit. We spent time in New Mexico and Marfa, Tx., just exploring. That really influenced our creepy, reverb-y sound. After incorporating Jana on drums, with her stripped down set and playing style, it really solidified. The heartbeat behind the haze.

What did you draw on or were taken by as an artist and as musicians?
Again, the landscape was a major role in our sound. There is desolation when you are away from big cities and trees. I grew up in Ga where there was always a canopy of trees and hills. It really changed me for the better.

What prompted the move from Lubbock, Texas to Richmond, Virginia?
Brandi got accepted into the grad program for Graphic Design at VCU. Plus, we're drifters. It was time.

You recorded My Only Companion in Kyle Harris’ home. How did thecomfort and close quarters help craft the album?
I couldn't imagine capturing those feelings in a studio. There is so much pressure, time is money. It was my first venture into recording other than demos. I figured, why try to explain things to someone else. We considered going back to Athens and recording with Joe McMullen (who did our first cd), but it wasn't financially feasible. He mastered it for us. I did it all in Garageband. For our lo-fi psych layers, it worked out just fine, I think.My Only Companion is incongruent in terms of production. It sounds as if Phil Spector recorded a western folk album with psychedelic shades yet it also sounds lo-fi and at-a-distance.

Did you know specifically what you wanted going in to record the album?
I did. I was listening to a lot of Spector and Joe Meek recordings at the time. I wanted it to be lush. I believe there is strength in ambiguity. I don't want to hear every little nuance. You wouldn't hear it live like that. I'm the same way when I look at a painting- Isquint. Also the way I cook. I never use recipes. I don't like straight lines. The sound was very intentional. I basically took what I like about other recordings and applied it. If you listen to an old Stax recording, you don't hear every kick drum beat, it is a wholesound. Echo and reverb make my head turn.The album has a carnival/travelling vibe to it.

Is life on the road more attractive than settling down? How does travel and those experiences shape your artistry?
Travel is a huge part of our lives. We try to get out as much as possible, playing or otherwise. Both Brandi and I are stimulation junkies. We love meeting new people and seeing new things. We take field recordings and video on our phones all the time. Our music and art is a direct reflection of our surroundings. Nature and society's impact is much more interesting to us than boy meets girl blah blah blah. Not that our music isn't personal, just vague, like life. The album is marvelous at conjuring imagery via its complex soundscape. The tribal beats and echoing music bring to mind empty fields, David Lynch films and sixties-era love songs.

What were you trying to create with this album? Were there themes you specifically wanted to invest in?
Thank you. We actually get the Lynch reference a good bit. In fact one of the songs on the cd was written with a character from Twin Peaks in mind. We did try to create an album. Period. Front to back. We spent a great deal of time with the sequencing of the songs. I think they can stand alone, but I always recommend a front to back listen. Maybe in the dark, or when it's raining. Or a Sunday morning. I had one friend say she was listening while driving and damn near wrecked from being caught up in it. Wonderful compliment. Glad she was safe.

Have you performed the album at shows in Richmond? Are you able to recreate the ethereal and spare qualities of the album at live shows?
We have started to play in Richmond. Brandi's school schedule is pretty hectic, so we have to juggle that. We try to create the ethereal sounds live, but when it boils down, we're a rock band. I get into what is referred to by Tim (drums) as a trance state when we play. I kind of just lose track and space out. Luckily, the others know what’s going on. The songs take on a life of there own, for sure. Never the same twice. Is that good or bad? That's why it's important to surround yourself with good players.

The album’s sound is familiar to bands like Spindrift or The Love Language. Is this type of sound a move by musicians to a more accurate sound, one less produced in a world of AutoTune and overly slick production?
Perhaps and thank you. We love those bands. I personally use music as an escape. So, let’s get way out there.

How is My Only Companion available - as cd, downloads or vinyl?
Cd, and digital download. Hopefully we can put it out on vinyl one day. I'd love to see the artwork that big.

tom mcbride

Tom McBride & The Whig Party
Like a Lion

Like any good soup the flavor sets it apart from just being a bowl of soup. Tom McBride likes his with varying stocks – Midwestern rock, southern soul and vocals that deliver heart with guttural personality. McBride and band The Whig Party come on strong with Like a Lion, a rich and moody collection of reserved rock numbers that trade in excess and bombast of the rock genre for outright storytelling. Like a Lion is stark stuff, rich in imagery, the craftsmanship insistent on being atypical, and graciously more than verse-chorus-verse stuff. But for as much as McBride and his material sounds middle of the road or a little like Bruce Springsteen or Rob Ronner the group finds its own voice in serious ideas (“Cutting up L.A.”, “Fisheries & Swine”). McBride’s lyrics invade the music versus accompanying them. It’s written as a stream-of-consciousness delivery, as if recalling as much imagery to someone as fast as possible. Each song bears individuality, the album’s musicality continually morphing a little song by song. “Natchez (Southern Odyssey)” blends slide guitar and horns like a tempered Muscle Shoals recording. “Everybody Plays Their Role” strolls along just right, gentle guitar plucking and scratchy percussion layered for delicate atmosphere. Both are album highlights - more internal, more personal, standing out from the album’s core sound. Like a Lion is a reserved and focused album that isn’t interested so much on catchy numbers. McBride is adept about putting the listener on someone else’s home front.

Brian Tucker

acrylics

Acrylics
All of the Fire

Record labels started by musicians always happen with the best intentions. It used to be that a more famous band would help another favored band to a label. These days, the do-it-yourself mentality takes on a whole new meaning. Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear, along with Ethan Silverman, has formed Terrible Records and brought exposure to Class Actress and Brooklyn’s Acrylics whose EP All of the Fire was released October 28th as a 10” vinyl and as mp3’s (iTunes, Amazon.com).

The band name alone couldn’t be more appropriate as it denotes a massive color scheme and bright hardened finish. Original founding members Jason Klauber and Molly Shea met in college and started a band that dissolved. The two kept it going and have since added players Sam Ubl on drums and Travis Rosenberg on keyboard and pedal steel. All of the Fire was recorded over a week’s time in a church that Taylor himself uses. The result is beautiful and stark, fussy and cosmic. The sound has a faint echoed feel and a crystallized feel to the vocals and music. The EP is passively sonic, never browbeating the ear but grabbing it hard to whisper into coolly and sweetly. Jason has a gutsy voice, whiskey soaked like a mid-western Steve Kilbey. Molly Shea bears an angelic quality, whether holding back or letting loose. It’s the perfect mixture of two distinct voices, partly aggressive and partly sincerely playful, that never clash when put together. On the EP we get more of Jason, which is fine, but it will be well-served to hear her more on her own.

All of the Fire is reminiscent of Eighties music in terms of melody and song construction, yet painted with a rough Nineties veneer, like Cutting Crew or Big Country mixed with Baby Animals and punk flourishes. “All of the Fire” feels lifted from 1985. “Avenue I” unfolds like The Church covering Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire.” “Honest Aims” fires like mid-west eighties rock with Euro flavoring and a blistering finish. The songs are evidence of why there’s a lot of talk about Acrylics. They have distilled and put forth much at once: Americana bathed in eclectic shades of rock music, subtle melodies and psychedelia.

Brian Tucker

ADRIAN

Adrian and the Sickness
B.F.D.

Austin, Texas is seemingly never short on musical diversity. Adrian and the Sickness, an Austin stalwart since 2004, have a new album that hugs very hard. It’s a mixed bag of tricks. More so, the female trio is a powerhouse rock and roll band that drops guitar riffs and drum beats like a cute kid driving a Sherman tank around town and firing wildly. Sometimes blistering, sometimes heavy handed, and consistent on saccharine laced vocals, the band deliver loads of explosive energy on their fourth album B.F.D.

Fiery and melodic as late eighties metal (think L.A. Guns, Fastway) and funky as seventies-era AC/DC mixed with the jump-up-and-dance feel of The Go Go’s the band shoots from the hip, clear-cut and fast. Influences are evident – the album was produced by Kathy Valentine of the Go Go’s and lead singer/guitar player Adrian Conner plays in AC/DC tribute band Hell’s Belles. Conner’s playing is Angus Young-tinged, notably on “Loser” and “Rice N Bean.” “Modern Freedom” opens with heavy sonic crunch, boogie flavored “Rice N Bean” keeps the album solid and “Turn It Up” is an album highlight in which Conner’s chorus is on fire and Melodie Zapata’s drumming hammers away. But instead of lingering in one area B.F.D. reveals a few surprises like its title track which could easily be mistaken for a Bangles song and a cover of “Radar Love”. The album makes a complete left turn with, gasp, a fantastic pop song – “Listening,” which soars like a great radio rock anthem and vocals like a teen queen. It takes the form to respectable, and renewed, heights.

For all its sonic boom there’s an off-balance quality to having sugary vocals placed against ragged rock music. It does not detract or sound out of place, except maybe for “Loser”. If anything, it adds an indifferent layer to the whole by a band is not stuck delivering all-out rock tunes for an album’s length. The result is a confident rock album by a band content to play around.

Brian Tucker