Lori McKenna- Bittertown

Bittertown is not a recent album. It’s not even Lori McKenna’s most recent album, but it’s the only one I’ve managed to get my hands on thus far and it is one of those albums that I felt compelled to tell people about. It is a beautiful country-tinged album in the vein of Lucinda Williams or Kathleen Edwards. Lori McKenna is a singer-songwriter from Massachusetts. Actually, more accurately she is a singer-songwriter-housewife-mother; all of which are incorporated in her music. That’s the first sign that this woman is a fantastic writer. If she can write songs about being a housewife that a 28-year-old single male can relate to, she must be doing something right. And that’s exactly what she has done. The songs on Bittertown are ostensibly about being stuck at home raising the kids and feeling overshadowed by her husband. But deeper down they visit themes with a broader appeal. For example, ‘Monday Afternoon’ is about struggling to better oneself while also trying to get people to accept you for who you are. Self-doubt is a theme that surfaces throughout the album. Mrs. McKenna writes about the kind of self doubt that is rooted not in a lack of confidence in oneself, but rather a loss of faith in the world around you. She sings about a fear of failing because your environment simply won’t allow you to succeed. The most impressive thing about her lyrics is that these themes are conveyed without hitting the listener over the head. She uses her words sparingly and says just enough that you know exactly what she means without knowing specifically what she is talking about. If you’re looking for something to listen to in the background this album probably won’t overwhelm you, but it you’re looking for a gem that you can sit down with and carefully pour over the lyrics Lori McKenna’s Bittertown is a good bet.

Heating Up

Brandi Carlile

When I first heard that Brandi Carlile is from Seattle I was a little surprised because she sounds like she’s from Nashville. She’s a singer/songwriter who resides in the more poppy suburbs of the alt-country landscape. And what a voice. Carlile released her debut album in 2005 and then hit the road for a couple of years. Those two years have paid off in spades on her latest album The Story as Brandi recorded the album more or less live and she seems much more comfortable with the songs than she did on her debut. What sets her apart is a beautiful voice that she’s not afraid to abuse when the song calls for a raw streak. Her songs are well crafted and they reflect influences which belie her young age (26) ranging from pop to rock to country to soul. Check her out here:

http://www.myspace.com/brandicarlileband

The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady are a 4-piece rock outfit formed in New York City in 2000 and their latest release Boys and Girls in America is an energetic rock record which does a great job of capturing a youthful sense of urgency. This is a great summer record about enjoying life way too much. Most of the songs are post-mortems on chaotic nights of debauchery written while the participants were still in a state of disbelief about what had transpired the previous night. The record is a lot of fun and even though the majority of it is spent exploring the lows that follow getting too high it has a romanticized feel to it… which is admittedly kind of scary. I’m reluctant to compare newer artists to the legends and I’m in no way saying they’re on the same level, but there’s something about this record that reminds me of early Springsteen. I’m not sure if it’s the frenetic pace of the vocals or the piano parts, but there’s something about a song like Hot Soft Light or Chillout Tent that makes me feel like I’m being Blinded by the Light or trying to be a Saint in the City near Asbury Park, NJ. Check out The Hold Steady at:

http://www.myspace.com/theholdsteady

Fit for Kings

Today marked the release of one of my favourite albums so far in 2007, Kings of Leon- Because of the Times. KOL consists of 3 brothers and a cousin and their 2003 debut Youth and Young Manhood was one of the strongest rookie efforts of the last 5 years. However, I found their 2005 sophmore effort to be rather disappointing. The band seemed cautious on Aha Shake Heartbreak. Most songs seemed to be building towards something, but too often they fizzled out.

The Kings' seem to have overcome their anti-climactic tendancies on their latest effort. The songs are looser and they've regained the rawness that was so prominent on their first record. Lead singer Caleb Followill sings like a man on the verge while brother Jared lays down thick, juicy bass lines that drive the songs. Unfortunately they've only got two of the songs off their newest album up on their myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/kingsofleon): the surprisingly sweet rocker On Call, and the soulful bopper Fans. The best song on the album, in my opinion, is Ragoo which isn't up on myspace. I'd strongly recommend getting it off Itunes. If you don't like it, let me know the next time you see me and I'll give you your dollar back.

A Good Doc

If you're a fan of documentaries there was an exceptionally cool Canadian doc released a week and a half ago called Sharkwater. The filmmaker set out to make a movie which educated people about sharks and ended up documenting an amazing battle to save them from extinction at the hands of humans. The cinematography in this film is absolutely astonishing. You can check out the preview here:

http://www.sharkwater.com/

Some things new

Here's a few of the albums that are topping my last.fm charts right now:

The View

The View are a 4-piece rock band out of Scotland armed with a bunch of punchy rock tunes which feel a bit like an updated (and more carefree) version of the scene that developed a few years back with the Strokes, the Hives and the Vines hitting the airwaves. If you're pressed for time I'd suggest starting with Superstar Tradesman and Wasted Little DJ's You can check them out here: http://www.theviewareonfire.com/

Albert Hammond Jr.

It seems like I'm writing about a lot of side projects on here, which is surprising cause I'm usually kind of skeptical of them because too many sound pretty much identical to the band from whence the artist came. However, there've been some good ones of late. Albert Hammond Jr. is the lead guitarist for the Strokes and although you can certainly hear some of the Strokes sound on this album it does distinguish itself enough to be a worthy listen. It's significantly more upbeat than most Strokes songs (some of it almost feels like The Beach Boys) and it makes for a great summer album. You can preview some tracks here: http://www.myspace.com/alberthammondjr

Brett Dennen

Brett Dennen is a singer/songwriter from small town California. His songs alternate between charming love songs and quasi-political social commentaries. You've probably heard at least one of his songs if you own a TV. The One Who Loves You the Most is featured on the Bell commercial where the kid can't sleep and the Dad lets him stay up to watch a hockey goal (side note: does anybody else find it really annoying that the goal the Dad is referring to when he says "Wanna see a great goal?" is decidedly average?). You can check out some of Brett's material at http://www.myspace.com/brettdennen

Vietnam

Vietnam are a throwback to, well, the Vietnam era. The band originated in Austin, Texas and these 4 guys look like they were body doubles for the cover of CCR's Chronicle. Their sound checks in somewhere between the Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but manages to conjure up a nostalgic feel without seeming outdated. We're talking about plain and simple, loose, blues infused rock. You can hear it at: http://www.myspace.com/vietnamtheband

For starters, here are a few artists who've come out with albums in the last few months which you might have missed:

David Ford (www.myspace.com/davidford) is a UK artist in the vein of Damien Rice. His debut, I Sincerely Apologize for All the Trouble I've Caused, is a startlingly passionate and honest record. Ford is a pure and simple singer/songwriter, but he's also an exceptionally good one. His songs are well crafted, his voice bleeds, and his sarcastic wit makes him easy to relate to. The political lament State of the Union might just be my favourite song of 2006. When I first listened to this record I was immediately in love with the first two tracks, but I felt like the rest of the album didn't live up. After repeated listenings though the rest of the material grew on me nicely.

Mat Kearney (www.matkearney.com) is also singer/songwriter, but he's from Nashville, Tennessee and his songs have more of a rock structure to them than Ford's minimalist approach. He is a storyteller with a knack for sweet melodies and his songs are very easy to listen to, but they stick with you and you don't grow tired of them. He infuses a somewhat unique, laid-back rap into some of his songs which is hard to define. The closest comparison I can come up with is Citizen Cope, but Kearney's vocals are not as aggressive or edgy.

The Weepies (www.theweepies.com) are actually two singer/songwriters. The pop/folk band is a collaboration between Deb Talan and Steve Tannen and their sophmore effort Say I Am You is filled with catchy, peaceful love songs.

Amy Millan (www.myspace.com/amymillan) is the lead singer of Stars, but her solo album takes her in a different direction. It's a whisky drenched country pop album which serves as a showcase for Millan's silky voice.

Band of Horses (www.bandofhorses.com) is a 4-piece out of Seattle. If you're into My Morning Jacket (and you should be!), this brand of driving, cymbals heavy, atmospheric jam rock will seem very familiar. Nothing too new here, but it might tide you over till the next MMJ album.

Feel free to hit me with your suggestions in the comments section.

Cheers.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. People often ask me for music and/or concert recommendations and more often than not I can't come up with much off the top of my head even though I know there's lots of great stuff happening. So this will mostly serve as a place to comment on music that I'm excited about, but I will likely also be commenting on films and books. Basically, this is my response to pop culture. Contrary to what is portrayed in the mainstream media, there is a lot of intelligent, beautiful, and inspiring art being made. My hope in creating this blog is to help a few more people find some of it.

Cheers.