I Love You But Ive Chosen Facebook

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Baby 81

You know, I’m not going to say that the new Black Rebel Motorcycle Club isn’t a good album as a whole. It’s just that I feel like I’ve outgrown this whole sound… I ate up B.R.M.C. in 2002, but since then we’ve had the Strokes, White Stripes, etc. and others pretty much duplicating that sound needlessly.

I do like a few tracks on the album, but for the most part this sounds exactly what you’d expect BRMC to sound like - and that’s sorta problematic for me. I mean, you can only go so far with this type of sound. It’s sort of funny that they sing: “Suicide IS easy… what happened to the revolution?”

They’ve always had a Velvet Underground and Dandy Warhols type of groove going, and that’s what you get with their new album Baby 81. I dunno, the songs are decent… I’m just finding it difficult today getting all excited about them.

by Palebear | No Comments

Sorry folks, I have been totally out of it as far as getting to new stuff goes. I will have to do the lame-dance again and merely vomit up the links due to the ancient enemy called time breathing down my neck…

1. Blackwater - The Great Park (Brighton folk a la Field Mice)

2. Hateful - The Diamond Family Archive (Eitzel, Kozelek)

3. Grainy Film Summers - Pupa’s Window (Seldon Plan plus Amanset)

4. Troll For You - Whiting Tennis (Neil Youngish One Foot In The Grave)

5. Eileen - The Storyboards (Fountains of Wayne, Yum Yum vocals )

by Palebear | No Comments

She Keeps Bees
Cagematch

Funny, I found this artist while looking up some info on The Finches whose show I caught awhile back at Silverlake Lounge. The link was to She Keeps Bees playing Cagematch on gootube - the band is basically Jessica Larrabee playing just about all the instruments from guitar to drums. It’s a Chan Marshall / Mia Doi Todd type of gritty folk/blues. I really liked the stripped down Cagematch song because it reminded me of Songs: Ohia (The Lioness?).

There’s a very raw and wounded sound to her voice. I liked the rest of the more fleshed out songs too, like Lucille which reminded me a bit of The Naysayer. Some really nice songs from this mostly home recorded first effort, “Minisink Hotel“.

Jessica is currently doing a tour with The Love Story

Listen:
Flash Player
She Keeps Bees Myspace

On Itunes:
Minisink Hotel

Watch:
Cagematch

Visit:
She Keeps Bees website

by Palebear | No Comments

Private Eleanor
Sweethearting

Godamn this band is really good. We’d earlier written up Private Eleanor on the basis of their great 2005 release No Straight Lines which came in through the inbox by way of Austin Stahl. This new album Sweethearting may top that one. The same influences and RIYLs are in effect here. Topping the list of bands they sound like is American Analog Set. It mostly has to do with the softserve, creamy feel to the mid-tempo pop that Private Eleanor plays and the hushed vocals, but the frequent use of xylophone doesn’t hurt as well. I don’t want to get stuck pigeon-holing the band as Amanset part 2; but they’re one of my favorite bands so it’s difficult not to throw that type of compliment their way when it’s deserved. Actually, in some instances, PE’s songs sound even prettier and more delicate than Amanset.

“Weeds” is an amazing track that sounds like a Chris Isaak song played by Amanset. There’s a sort of spectral feel to a lot of the songs - like being in a waking dream while watching a show. The earlier album was compared a bit to the twin towers of E. Smith and N. Drake, but I seem to hear a lot less of that on Sweethearting. I also can’t remember if Marian Glebes (who adds those bells and other percussion) sang that much on No Straight Lines, but in any case her similarly hushed accompanying vocals and harmonies are very welcome on these newer songs. I still get a Red House Painters vibe, especially on the quieter parts of songs like “Consider The Archer.” And that Posies vocal similarity still rings true every so often.

Man, the Baltimore-based Beechfields label, who also released the amazing Seldon Plan are definitely on my list of favorite collectives right now. They just can’t seem to do wrong at the moment.

Listen:
Vladimir and Gabriel
A Better Way To Run
Richmond

Visit:
Private Eleanor website

by Palebear | No Comments

Sea Wolf
Get to the River ...

I have to keep reminding myself never to judge a band based on anything before hearing their music or seeing them play live. Sometimes it’s best to even listen to them blind. In this case, I’m talking about the amazing band Sea Wolf who I saw play the Echoplex kickoff show this past Thursday along with The Parsons Red Heads, Watson Twins and Earlimart.

I was going to the show to see Earlimart, but I’d gotten an advance of the Sea Wolf CD as well. However, I didn’t even listen to it beforehand - one of my favorite things to do back when it was actually possible to be surprised by music (early 90s) was to take a chance and buy a CD or go to a show without knowing anything about the band. Kinda like forcing yourself not to know anything about a movie before going to see it. I decided to do this with Sea Wolf and I’m so glad I did. The reason is because the band is headed up by Alex Church of Irving, and his band mate Alex Burrows is also in the lineup. The thing is - I can’t stand Irving! So, if I’d read they were in Sea Wolf maybe I would have made up my mind already about the band.

Instead, at the show we were treated to an amazing, dynamic performance by Sea Wolf (everyone else was good too, but if Earlimart didn’t come out with guns blazing, I would have said that Sea Wolf stole the show from them). At the heart of the band are Church’s quirky but extremely moody compositions that seem to swim with the tide rather than against it. Melodic acoustic guitar and beautiful string accompaniments make all the difference. The rest of the rhythm section is locked in sweetly as well.

There are only 5 songs on the EP and they played all of them at the show. They differ, with some being slower and others more forceful, but all have a really dreamy quality to them.
“You’re A Wolf” is the crowd favorite, but mine is the driving and drony “I Made A Resolution.” As far as bands they sound like, I’d say take the Decemberists plus Arcade Fire, mix in a little Dirty Three for string dynamics, some old nods to the Velvet Underground and its ilk, and then add some Great Northern for atmosphere (the latter is a gimme, since members of that band are in the live lineup).

This band completely blew me away with their performance. Hopefully, I’ll get to see them again soon. They’re actually touring with Silversun Pickups. I already missed Sea Wolf playing with Sloan at the Troubadour, and apparently they are playing one date with Elk City! What a show that would be. (On a side note: I gotta say there is a very incestuous Silverlake scene thingy going on… or maybe I just haven’t really noticed it until now since I’ve been so out of it. But it’s all good - I like nearly all the related bands.)

Listen:
You’re A Wolf
The Garden That You Planted
Sea Wolf Myspace

Watch:
You’re A Wolf - Video

Visit:
Sea Wolf website

by Palebear | No Comments

Hey. Interested in having a chance of getting your record reviewed? Here’s a tip: DO NOT EMAIL US ABOUT THE STATUS OF YOUR RECORD. DO NOT CALL US TO ASK ABOUT IT. DO NOT CONTINUE TO BOTHER US REPEATEDLY OVER SEVERAL MONTHS. DOING SO SEVERELY WASTES OUR TIME.

DO NOT LIKE IT? I DO NOT CARE.

</ Rant, Shouting Off>

by Palebear | No Comments

Gah, this particular Palebear Blurbs has become necessary in order to at least give a mention of some of the music coming in. Because there has been so much new stuff lately that it’s overflowing out of my ears. I usually like to try do a full writeup on bands, however long it may take (read: 12-18 months sometimes!) but time has been short lately. Oh well, better than nothin’, ey?

1. The Gentle Charm of the Soviette - Henry Clay People

2. Rows Of Homes - Western States Motel (Man, this reminds me of a Grandaddy Song)

3. Dead King Richard - The Atlantic Manor

4. If That’s The Case… - The Electric Soft Parade

5. Phoenix Rising - Dora Flood (Black Rebel Motorcycle plus The Church?)

by Palebear | No Comments

Great Northern
Trading Twilight for Daylight

Boy, I’d been meaning to make a post about Great Northern for quite awhile now after getting their latest album “Trading Twilight for Daylight”. The CD’s been on my favorites list in Itunes for quite awhile now, but as with all things with Palebear it’s just taken so long to write them up. I’m pretty sure they’ve gotten their fair share of good press though, so this entry is nothing more than a footnote about their music.

Hailing from the famous Ship collective in my neck of the woods (Grandaddy and Earlimar count themselves as members of that collective), they make some of the greatest dreamrock that I’ve heard since the Delgados. And actually, the first track “Our Bleeding Hearts” was SO like the Delgados that I did a double take. I think it was the delicate bells in the background, the dreamy atmosphere that slowly lopes along like a wolf, and the great vocals from Rachel Stolte.

Their dramatic songs definitely reminds me a bit of other Silverlake bands like Giant Drag and Silversun Pickups. I also felt a little Viva Voce sneaking in there perhaps. The structure of other songs like “Telling Lies” sound like they were written by Aaron Espinoza or Elliott Smith. The hits on the album are pretty much non-stop, at least I felt that way. They put together some really amazing music in this album that’s all about setting up a distinct dreamy mood - it’s like swimming through songs. Really great stuff - I don’t think the album is officially out yet, I believe mid-May is when you should be able to get your hands on it.

Listen:
The Middle
Great Northern on Myspace

Watch:
Great Northern SXSW 2007
Great Northern playing “Babies” live at Liquid Generation

Visit:
Great Northern website

by Palebear | No Comments

Spraydog
Karate Summer Camp

I rather like this album we got in from Spraydog the other day. The band hails from Newcastle upon Tyne but there are some connections to the U.S. (they released off the familiar Kittridge label earlier). Really soaring and powerful indie rock songs on the album - there’s that definite hint of off-kilter guitar chords that will lead you down the path of Sonic Youth. The simultaneous boy-girl vocals, however, remind me of indie pop bands like Butterglory or Imperial Teen but with a definite rock edge. Listening to them is like being in a bit of a timewarp back to the early 90s, when this type of sound ruled the indie roost. But this is definitely my type of sound - immediate, shoegazey, a bit noisy and with great melodies.

Listen:
Spraydog Myspace

Visit:
Spraydog website

by Palebear | No Comments

“We do, doodley do, doodley do, doodley do,
What we must, muddily must, muddily must, muddily must;
Muddily do, muddily do, muddily do, muddily do,
Until we bust, bodily bust, bodily bust, bodily bust.”

Goodbye, Kilgore Trout.

by Palebear | No Comments