I’m away in Vermont for the weekend enjoying a little down time cooking, listening to music (of course), reading and snowshoeing. But I’ll be back next week with the regularly scheduled programming. I hope you are having a spectacular long weekend.
Like a whole lotta other folks I’ve been snowed in today as waves of ice rain, sleet and snow wallop Philly. Snow Days were a rare treat when I was a kid; in Minnesota they pretty much only cancel school when the temps are so cold it is dangerous to be outside. On those chilly days when they did let us stay home my sisters and I would round up our friends and we’d do movie marathons at our house. This usually also included a smorgasbord of comfort food and break to go outside for a little energy release. I have many fond memories of those cozy days with my friends and fam.
The magic is decidedly less palpable as an adult, in particularly an adult who works from home. This morning I was made a little cranky by the prospect of being trapped inside with my work. I’m headed up to Vermont for the weekend so I have scads of work to do before I leave. But, after powering through a good bit of my “to do” list with the help of my stand bys (Ida Maria, Queen, Lookbook and Abba) I was able to settle in and enjoy watching the snow pile up outside. While my chillaxed approach to work after that point, paired with a little whiskey means I still have stuff to knock out yet tonight I thought I would take a moment to provide you all a little Covered In Snow mixtape. Whether you too are tucked in your house for the night or looking out at a sunny sky here is a mix for you.
The Fools are a Brooklyn duo that, upon first listen, took me back to the early days of Righteous Babe Records, Lilith Fair and Tracy Chapman. When good strong female singers tapped a soulful vein but weren’t afraid to really rock out. Jen and Uchenna first met at Rutgers U but they didn’t start playing music together until they both moved to NY after college. With Jen on guitar and Uchenna on bass they’ve matured into quite the bluesy duo. It’s not terribly complicated just earthy and enjoyable. The duo currently gigs all over NY so if you’re in the area be sure to check out one of their shows.
Good Day
This group is my new obsession. Everything about their high energy synth pop sits well with me. Its got the essential spaztic bump to get a dance party reved up and the kind of clean power vocals that you can’t help but jump in on the action. The Minneapolis act consists of Maggie Morrison, rocking the lead vocals and Grant Cutler, on the “beats.” Morrison has a direct line to the pop greats of the 80′s. Her vocals croon and sail over the dream electroscape created by Cutler’s instrumentals. If I were to actually reveal the number of times I’ve blasted Wild At Heart and danced around my apartment I’d be exposing a little to much of my crazy chic underbelly than is appropriate on this here blog. But, trust me, it’s a lot.
Yesterday’s Company
So many bits of news have crossed my path in the last few days regarding items, people and projects I feel need a little of your attention.
To bring season 2 to a close the folks behind LMM relaunched their website. Now, to keep yourself busy while they take a hiatus from bringing you some very fresh material, you can easily sort through the archives and sample tracks from the various monthly themes. This is a project dedicated to reconsidering the many facets of music from album art to instruments. Well worth the price of subscription for season 3 which will kick off May 1.
Yessssss Mr Wilkis is back in action; working his magic to reimagine the Yeasayer’s Ambling Alp. He gives it a fresh spit’n polish choosing to slough off the excess and crack open the essential beats. It is, as always, a spectacularly well done remix.
Ambling Alp (Alan Wilkis remix)
Team Teamwork
Mash ups are a total guilty pleasure. The pleasure I take from effortlessly identifying samples that have been chopped up and reconfigured is fairly well know among my friends. Which is why this edition of Team Teamwork’s Vinyl Fantasy landed in my in box multiple times in the last week or so. Overflowing with dope-tastic tracks it was just the fix I didn’t know I was jonesin for. While there has been a spot of controversy around this little project I still thought it worth sharing with you all. So click the link
White Panda
This Cali-cago duo have been incredibly busy smashing all sorts of business together crafting some fairly delicious mash ups. Recently they completed their Versus Mixtape; 33 tracks of assorted musical rearrangements, all of them fantastic. This mixtape will be my gym soundtrack as I try to snap myself out of the standard midwinter sloth status. They have even tackled that ridiculous Owl City song and manage to make it rather enjoyable, a sign of a true skill.
Fireflies Going Down
Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You… is the long awaited first full studio album from Brooklyn’s Mike Grubbs a.k.a. Wakey!Wakey! After cutting his teeth with a free covers album (something that I have parsed and spread through numerous mixes and playlists), a live album and an EP –not to mention a slew of gigs and a spot on One Tree Hill–Grubbs has really refined his sound achieving stellar status on my indie pop scale. Numerous times, while listening to the album, I found myself paused by his lyrical prowess. Often anchored by his piano playing on previous recordings the introduction of more complicated arrangements on AEIWISTLTISY only serve to build the emotion in each song. The Oh Song mans up with the addition of a burly male chorus while Take It Like A Man weaves in the shrill of the violin to push it off the starting block. It is a great “beginning” for Wakey!Wakey! one that is sure to be followed by even more touring so be sure to catch him when he pass through your surrounds.
Some folks with musical chops interpret the burden of such talent as a calling to fuss and refine until every element of their product is perfect. Tom McRae is no such artist. He is the kind of musical talent that takes great delight in the process; prefers to bask in the experimentation and possibility. On his fifth studio album Alphabet Of Hurricanes his product is the direct outcome of quite a bit of play and shaped by a lot a bit of craft. It’s a mixed bag — as one might expect — Me & Stetson representing his pop sensibilities whereas American Spirit is a little more alt country. Despite the scatter the assortment is enjoyable as a whole mostly due to the thread of joy in the creation that is found in every track.
Out Of The Wall
There is a steady cool to Fink’s music that plays off so cleanly you feel as though you’re listening to lead man Fin Greenall’s private musings. Without hiding behind all the wit and wile of many of today’s artists he plays it as it lays. Having spent a number of years as a DJ dabbling in trip hop and acid jazz it isn’t surprising his recent work tends towards the understated. With Fink he has been focusing on a slightly more traditional approach to songwriting. The spectacular Distance And Time has a folkier waft while last year’s Sort Of Revolution marks a happy medium between folk and acid jazz. The tracks maintain the cool Fink has come to be known for but there is an touch of soul that cannot be ignored. The title track from Sort Of Revolution spreads smooth crooning vocals over a minimal, but propelling, arrangement. The rest of the album plays out in a similarly chill manner making this the perfect soundtrack for your wind down time.
Sort Of Revolution
A chat with Chris Wood is a whirl wind tour of his musical career; first, his gig as drummer for Downtown Harvest; then, the spacey trip-hop side project Grimace Federation; finally, to his main focus right now Orbit To Leslie. Taking on a new role as frontman Wood has high expectations for Orbit, as well he should. The five piece first began a few years ago when Wood returned to Philly after a stint in LA and wanted a few fresh faces for some jam sessions. He called on a childhood friend, some other well respected local players slapped on a phrase he once saw on an organ effect button and Orbit To Leslie was born. What has come of those jam sessions and a grip of well received gigs is a well rounded and worldly dream rock group. Defined by intriguing percussions and steady vocals the band just released The World Was Saved With Chocolate Cake. The album, initially intended to be an EP, is a direct reflection of the fella’s assorted styles. Dipping into a few different pools of influence from afro-pop to echoey garage rock it plays well as a whole with some weaker spots but tracks like Chocolate Cake shine bright enough to pull the weight. The further refinement of their sound that is sure to come from supporting this record will only push Orbit To Leslie closer to their full potential.
I am spending my evening catching up on some of the movies expected to get Oscar nods which put my in a visual frame of mind. Coincidentally, there have been a few cool videos to cross my path recently so I thought I’d share them with you real quick. Enjoy!
The XX -VCR
Shy Child – Disconnected
Shy Child // Disconnected from Stay Loose on Vimeo.
Mumford & Sons – The Cave
Little Lion Man
Last week brought Animal Tropical & Freelance Whales, two very fresh groups, to Kungfu Necktie for a rollicking good time. Going in I knew very little about Animal Tropical – for example, that it’s Ah-nee-Mal Tro-pee-Kal - so I was unprepared for the frenzied punkish energy this Miami quartet unleashes during their set. The abstract psych vibe of the music was punctuated by the most fabulous hand gestures by any performer I’ve seen, quite possibly ever. Despite a broken keyboard the lead singer kept the show going; delivering a unique vocal style I can only describe as a mix of scat and slam poetry. While that description denotes a degree of chaos Animal Tropical’s brilliance lies is in their ability to put it out there and still maintain a sense of control. The full package melds a lot of influences and techniques together to create a very distinct sound and an incredibly pleasing live show. I’m eager for them to return so I can get another Tropical fix.
Freelance Whales, one of the rapidly trending bands on the east coast indie scene, brought their plucky troupe to the stage next. Playing pretty much anything they can get their hands on to create a hodgepodge symphony that, when layered under their dexterous lyrical stylings puts forth on hell of a mesmerizing show. As the groups members float around the numerous instruments on stage – changing location with every song – they maintained a consistant thread of tautly harmonized vocals. Hearing Freelance Whales perform live really brought a new weight to their stellar lyrics. While the music doddles between sweet and romantic to playful they manage to steer clear of the precious “twee” territory by keeping things simple and grounded. All five group members were having a good time with each other, which quickly spread into the crowd loosening a few hip shakes from the packed house. Working through most of the tracks on the new album Weathervane during their set Freelance Whales proved they are worth every bit of their buzz. They will be back on March 5th with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Bear In Heaven, get your tickets now.
Hannah
Philly is jumping on the good will bandwagon with the announcement today by WXPN, Philadelphia Folksong Society and the Trocadero that they will be presenting Philly Rocks For Haiti on February 4th. The funds raised will go to Haitian Professionals of Philly who will buy and ship supplies to Haiti. The line-up has some major players from Philly’s musical community:
This is an excellent chance to get out for a night of fabulous local music while supporting those in much greater need in Haiti.
Get Tickets here or at the Troc box office.
If you can’t make it but still like the idea of getting some music for your donation go check out Paste’s Songs For Haiti offer