Scott Reynolds and a Steaming Beast

Scott Reynolds and the Steaming Beast is the project of a few friends getting together to make some music. The Steaming Beast's debut effort, Adventure Boy features the work of Scott Reynolds, Steve Drozd of the Flaming Lips, and multi-instrumentalist David Friedmann. The sound of the Steaming Beast is multi faceted there's strong songwriting, each song could work on just an acoustic guitar, but it's not folk. Each song has more than a little bit of heart and occasionally a slide guitar, but I wouldn't call it alt. country because the structure and lyrics are too quirky. I think the best fit of genre would be the late 80's early 90's alternative label, although don't think this is old fogy music, there's occasionally electronic blips and beeps to keep the kids these days interested in the bouncy tunes and witty narrative.

There's quite a bit of variety on the album, and the fun the musicians are having translates well into the recording and makes me think that a live performance would be just as fun.

Scott Reynolds and the Steaming Beast - Jesus, Satan, Gene Beeman, his car, and Pizza Hut

Scott Reynolds and the Steaming Beast - The Truth Teller's Soul

Dragging a River is Hard

Drag the River is an alternative country rock band out of Colorado, they've been working towards their latest incarnation since 1996. Their sound is solidly grounded in all of the elements that might come to mind when you think of alt. country; slide guitar, spare piano and heartfelt rusty vocals. Once in a while you might be surprised by a few things thrown into the mix. One such instance is on "Rangement", where a sultry Louisiana style horn section bursts onto the scene and spices up the rhythm.

The greatest strength of their latest album You Can't Live This Way, is their solid sentimental songwriting. It expresses perfectly, the love/hate relationship with our past and where we came from and our future and where it leads. Fans of Wilco and Son Volt in particular will find something to like here.

Drag the River - Rangement

Drag the River - Death of the Life of the Party

Reclining with Chairs in the Arno

Chairs in the Arno have an interesting origin. Their name comes from a story of the founding members of the band studying abroad in Italy. They were apparently having a bit too much fun, swigging wine and gallivanting about the country side, one thing led to another and literally there were lawn chairs thrown into the Arno river.

Origins aside, Chairs in the Arno's debut album "File Folder", is the true successor to the heartfelt synth IDM pop of Figurine, complete with Boy/Girl layered vocals, gimmicky technology concepts, and lyrics so saccharine sweet they will melt you upon contact.

Chairs in the Arno - I Never Loved You Anyways

Chairs in the Arno - Preprogrammed Casio

Chris Price's Future Pop

Chris Price is an electronic music artist whose compositions garnered attention from the early to mid 1980's in many adult films under the name D'Crescendo. At the time too young to view the movies that his music was in, he went largely unaware of the recognition that he was receiving from the films. It is said that people began going to the movies for the music alone. As Chris Price came of age, the adult entertainment industry began moving away from original music works and started copying the top 40 musical styles to engage a larger audience. It was at this time that he shed his D'Crescendo moniker and began doing work for the Weather Channel and through this forum eventually caught the attention of a prominent Christian movie director, for which he produced the music for a series of direct to video releases. From this exposure he influenced Gangsta Christian rapper Geto Deacon to make an album comprised almost completely of Chris Price samples. After revisiting the works of his D'Crescendo days, Chris Price has decided to make an original album in the flavor of his influences; which include Pet Shop Boys, New Order, and Depeche Mode among others.

Chris Prices' music is excellently programmed, he has a true understanding of vintage synth-pop that many are sure to enjoy. His mastery and appreciation of synth pop classics also comes with a classic case of the New Order problem. The music itself is wonderful, full of throbbing rhythms and catchy melodies but the lyrics sometimes leave something to be desired. Even fans of New Order have to concede that Bernard Sumner is not the world's most brilliant lyricist. While sometimes this is endearing, other times it can be quite painful to endure (ala "Booty Magic"). Then again maybe it's influence from being around the sub par acting and scripts of the adult film industry and the Christian film industry. That said, I applaud his willingness to experiment with so many different styles. Collectively there are still solid hits on his debut Post Pop Parade with the decidedly Herbie Hancock-ish "Work It", the slow burn of "And She Was" (No not a Talking Heads Cover) that is a wonderful homage to New Order, complete with heavily chorused bass melody, and obvious lead single "Dim the Lights, Evangeline" that combines the catchiest lyrics on the entire album with sublime squiggly synths. If you've got a fever, and the only medication is more vocoder, Chris Price is prepared to fill the prescription.

Chris Price - Dim the Lights, Evangeline

Chris Price - And She Was

Chris Price Myspace

Kneel Before the Purple Reign

Prince is an artist that I've been aware of for some time. Through popular culture of course, and looking at shout outs of some of my favorite obscure dance bands. It wasn't until he starred in the Super Bowl halftime show last year that I sat up and went, "Woah, that's Prince?". His guitar playing abilities and energy were something that's not supposed to exist in pop music, or at least I didn't know could exist in pop music. A genuine genre hopping ability, from soul to funk to rock and everything in between. His scorching rendition of the Foo Fighters' Best of You no doubt won over many new fans all over the world. It went down as the second most watched performance of all time.

I know what you're thinking, if I saw the Super Bowl last year, why am I only talking about him now? Well, recently I've gotten really into music history and the dance hits of the early to mid 80's. This brought me to appreciate the likes of the Human League and a young Michael Jackson among others, but armed with a Christmas i tunes gift card and the knowledge of the amazing single that When Doves Cry is, my path was set out before me. I purchased The Very Best of Prince, and have been keeping it in semi rotation since I've had it. Rarely have I heard a collection of dance/pop/rock songs that are so consistently satisfying.

I realize it's a best of compilation, but upon further investigation I've come to believe that it is only an indication of the consistent quality of his output. I mean, he just put out an album this year! and there's lots of guitar on it! You can hear his influence in everyone from Justin Timberlake to Justice. He's made one heck of an imprint on the musical scene for such a short guy (he's 5' 2").

Prince - Sign 'O' the Times

Prince - I Would Die 4 U

Prince - Gett Off (Flute Groove? Yes Please!)

If that's not enough for you, enjoy this delicious satire.

Alive After All

While I was in high school, I respected Daft Punk, more so for their Discovery album than Homework, because on Discovery they combined those funkified drum machine beats with timeless pop. Though now with the release of their live album Alive 2007, I now see the light of the smörgåsbord of beats that is Homework. On the Alive 2007 album, Daft Punk combines the beats and music of their songs to make a continuous set long mash-up of their own material. This layering technique gives songs that previously were tedious or repetitive new texture, new flavor, and most of all new life. the sledgehammer riffs of Human After All glide on the Beats of Homework with touches from Discovery for extra groove and the formula rotates all throughout. There is a reason that Daft Punk have remained incredibly influential, and not only relevant but dominant in the dance music genre over the last 10 years, and this is just more supporting evidence.

Daft Punk - Touch It / Technologic

Daft Punk - Around the World / Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Daft Punk - Da Funk / Daftendirekt

Figurine is Way Too Good

I became obsessed with Figurine over the summer. I heard that there was a more Gary Numan-esque project of James Tamborello, more song focused but with 100% less Ben Gibbard and 100% more David Figurine and Meredith Figurine. I heard songs like "IMpossible" and "Heartfelt" and I was hooked. The sounds were more lo-fi and the lyrics were so earnest and spot on. I loved these two tracks so much that I actually bought the real cd's (Off of half.com, but c'mon I'm Poor). Their first release Transportation + Communication = Love is a cute expedition into the world of early Depeche Mode sounds and gimmicky lyrics. Not to say it's not enjoyable, it certainly is. But their second release is more fully realized. If you're a fan of the Postal Service you can hear the nuts and bolts of the contemporary cutesy synth pop forming. Particularly in the call and response of "IMpossible" in regards to the Gibbard/Lewis joint "Nothing Better". Basically, Figurine is like a more raw Postal Service with a more deprecating lyrical style similar to Stephen Merrit of The Magnetic Fields' morose poetry but more earnest, maybe even more honest.

Figurine - IMpossible

Figurine - Way Too Good

Figurine - Heartfelt

Figurine - Let's Make Our Love Song

The Girl From The North Country

I went and saw Juno, it is a wonderfully cute film. Ellen Page is cute, Michael Cera is cute. I want to somehow visit their world and be part of the overwhelming cuteness.

On a different note I've largely neglected the Secret Machines on my blog. This is unfortunate because they are one of my absolutely favorite bands. I saw them in Syracuse a year ago. Fantastic show even though it was small and on campus. They hit a spot somewhere in between Beck, the Flaming Lips and Led Zeppelin. One of indie rocks most underrated bands I'd have to say. Ten Silver Drops was a fantastic album, even if critics kinda panned it. Their Dylan cover "Girl from the North Country", despite being eight minutes long, doesn't get old and the sparse soundscape amplifies the tender ache of love long since passed.

Secret Machines - First Wave Intact

Secret Machines - Girl from the North Country

Stuck in the Elevator Suite

Elevator Suite is a UK electronic band known from the late 90's that after some dissatisfaction with the music industry has recently reunited and produced a new single entitled "The Wheel". The radio edit reminds me a lot of Junior Boys because the pristine vocals ride on top of ambiance and electronic squiggles. Backing the radio edit of the single are 4 excellent remixes by hot new artists as well as an individual from the legendary 90's techno group Orbital. My favorites are Crazy P's slow thumping New Wave-ish take and Alex Metrics faux MSTRKRFT/Justice style mix. In addition to the to the single and its remixes they've also created a dreamy fuzzed out cover of The Beatles' "Elenor Rigby". If you like vocal electronica and good midtempo beats this could pass some time in your headphones or out on the floor.

Elevator Suite - The Wheel (Radio Edit)

Elevator Suite - The Wheel (Alex Metric)

Elevator Suite - The Wheel (Crazy P)

Elevator Suite - Elenor Rigby

Thieves Like Us Head Long Into the Night

In the age of so many artists looking to new wave and more specifically, New Order, for inspiration it's refreshing to have come across a band that get it so right. Thieves Like Us is named directly for the New Order track and the elements they employ in their music are very similar to those that can be found in that track. The syncopated drum beat, minimalist synth and earnest vocal. I know the band is on the Kitsune Maison label and that they've released the 'Drugs in My Body' single either this year or sometime last year. I found a collection of songs that are dated 2006, but they aren't from an album. If I knew more about them, or their releases they could have literally been the 2007 album of the year for me.

Their myspace describes them as half Daft Punk half Factory and all Kitsune, and that's a pretty dead on description. Although I think the Factory influence is a little deeper. Each song is so remarkably simple and seemingly held together by so little, exactly like a Joy Division or Early New Order song. Not to say the band isn't original, their repertoire of sounds make even the simplest song compelling. The mood of the songs range from earnest, to heartbroken, to even angry. All done in a way that'll make you recall early 80's sci fi movies ala Blade Runner. Best of all is that they have avoided their idol Bernard Sumner's tendency to produce simple and cringe-able rhymes. If I had a list of best things I discovered this past year, but weren't produced this year, Thieves Like Us would be #1.



Thieves Like Us - Fass

Thieves Like Us - Declarations

Thieves Like Us - Love Lets Down

New Order - Thieves Like Us

The Power of Vinyl Compels You!

"The Power of Vinyl", is a segment where I will share the old records that I've bought from thrift stores and record shops. There'll be some familiar favorites as well as some stuff that I had no idea what it was, but liked the cover art or title.

Today's album, Duran Duran's 1982 release, Rio encompasses Duran Duran's crossover from new romantic band to mega successful pop band. I've heard "Hungry Like the Wolf" since I was a little kid, with all of those Time Life music compilations coming on before and after Saturday morning cartoons it was kind of hard to miss. I have to say, upon first listen, I wasn't that impressed. I think my brain's been hardwired to like 80's music, but not "Omigod 80's!" music, meaning that the well known stuff usually isn't that interesting to me and "Hungry Like the Wolf" and the rest of Rio is chock full of conventional 80's fare, but then again this was released in 1982, with 8 years of the 80's left to go I'd say that it was Duran Duran that set the precedent for the many pop/new romantic acts that would follow, though few would match that standard. If I had to choose between contemporaries Wham! and Culture Club I would go with Duran Duran every time. After giving the album a few listens, the up tempo rhythms and Nick Rhodes' innovative synth arpeggios make it worthwhile and the brilliance of their take on the pop ballad begins to show with "Save a Prayer" what would come to fruition some years later in their single "Ordinary World".

Duran Duran - My Own Way

Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

Duran Duran - Save a Prayer

Duran Duran - The Chauffeur

Vates and Volts

I was sent this electronic project named Vate the other day in the mail by it's courteous progenitor, and being the experimental/electronic music junkie that I am, I've been listening to nothing but Vate's album Volt for the last few days. The experimental sounds and atmospheric synth make excellent background music while reading, writing, or drawing. This album reminds me of Skinny Puppy at their best because the sound is haunting and inventive. I think I listened to the same track about 14 times in a row while I was doing some graphic design last night.

Vate - Mundo Libre

Vate - Orient Stress

Vate - Tourismo