Mark McAdam
Mark McAdam has been in the music making game for quite a while – since 7th grade to be exact – including a stint with Dermot Mulroney’s band Cranky George during his years in LA. Now McAdam has settled in Brooklyn and into a new phases of solo music making. The start of his lastest effort coincided with beginning of development for his friend Keiran Mulroney’s (Dermot’s screen writing brother) movie Paper Man. Inspired by the quirky movie’s characters and plot he began to create an album around them. The result is magnificent.
The eleven tracks on Paper Man Songs stand alone with their own stories and character. “Adderall” offers an ironically calm homage to the ADD remedy, just one of the calmer more reflective pieces on the album. “Around The Bend (Or, The Optimist)” is a poppier ode to the search for El Dorado. The instrumental tracks written for the score are unpretentious but effective; easily evoking the emotions reflected in the Paper Man story line. McAdam’s years of song writing experience have given him a well developed sense of the ways music can tap into emotion. This album is a stellar reflection of that skill.
The Damn Choir
Chicago’s The Damn Choir was born out of moment of kismet when Katy Myers happened upon a recently broken hearted Gordon Robertson in a bar. Initially Katy deflected his musical advances but eventually Gordon won her over. In the year and a half-ish since that fateful day the two have acquired two more musicians – Chelsea Heck (vox) and Miguel White (drums) – and developed their own folky sound.
Myers’ steady luscious cello lines provide a rich backdrop for Robertson’s perfectly imperfect voice; the relationship between the two gives distinct character to the group’s songs. The addition of Heck’s supporting vocals gives the material a middle dimension and rounds out the arrangements. Lyrically The Damn Choir explore relationships from all sorts of angles; tender reflection, longing rhetoricals and simple missives. It is a promising start for the relatively new four piece; I can only imagine, as they become more comfortable with each other’s abilities and start getting more musically curious, their sound will only improve.
We All Have Hooks For Hands
These six dudes from Sioux City, South Dakota are making really really really good music. There is a lot of banging percussion along side some shouty vocals and, of course, bizzy driving guitars but, it never gets messy instead it becomes a high energy symphony of fun. We All Have Hooks For Hands is capable of taming the beast that is their collective sound but don’t forfeit any of their allure when they do so. Letting a simple piano line or a steady drum beat take center stage and allowing the group vocals and additional instruments spiral out from there -as they do on “Hold On C’mon”- is a welcome counter to the full-steam-ahead pace of other tracks.
They’re tucking back into the studio this summer and I cannot wait to hear what they have when they emerge. I unflinchingly predict great things. Get on the bus early.
Yay for The Damn Choir! I happened upon them a little while ago and was definitely impressed. Also, I know it’s the wrong post but I loved your descriptions for The Album Leaf/Sea Wolf show
just wanted to point out that hooks for hands is from sioux FALLS south dakota. there is not sioux city sd. thats actually in iowa. just FYI