A Baker's Dozen : Volume 4

Day 14 in an Austin Texas hotel room. We're all up late and wired, so I'm posting some tunes. I put an offer on a house today, I'm starting a new job, my wife is carrying our first child, and I've already fallen for this city. Life is good. Enjoy some new music.

01 - Fionn Regan - "Abacus". I may as well lead off with this one as it's my favorite tune from this set. A recent signing by the increasingly impressive Bella Union label, Fionn Regan makes a classic folksy noise. These kind of singer-songwriters are dime-a-dozen these days, but this song nails it for me. (Website)

02 - The Sound Of Animals Fighting - "My Horse Must Lose". This one came to me by way of a friend and it has been in constant rotation ever since. If you are an Autumns fan, Matthew Kelly is featured on vocals here. Granted, this tune has the longest intro ever, but once it kicks in around 1:40, it's great. (Website / Myspace)

03 - M Ward - "To Go Home". A new one from M Ward's latest CD, this will be one of the indie feel-good hits of the (fast disappearing) summer. "It's great to be alive... to think I'll have to give it all up some day..." (Website / Myspace)

04 - Band Of Horses - "St. Augustine". These guys have been blogged to death already, but this song deserves to be heard. Just listen to the voices. Incredible harmonies. Kills me. (Website / Myspace)

05 - Amusement Parks On Fire - "Blackout". This is the first single from their 2nd CD ("Out of the Angeles"). In my opinion, Amusement Parks On Fire are the best modern shoegaze band out right now. (Website / Myspace)

06 - Christopher O'Riley - "Black Star". I don't know a ton about this guy other than that he is the host of an NPR show and a very talented pianist. This is his rendition of Radiohead's classic "Black Star" released a couple of years back and still constantly in my rotation. (Website / Amazon)

07 - Ringo Deathstarr - "Some Kind Of Sad". This year finally saw the (long overdue) Rhino Records remastering of my all-time favorite album -- "Psychocandy" by the Jesus & Mary Chain. Although I haven't heard it yet, it will definitely be mine. What's the connection? Well, if you miss the early JAMC, sink your teeth into this Austin TX band. Close your eyes and you will honestly think you are back in 1985 listening to "Never Understand". The resemblance is a bit creepy actually... (Myspace)

08 - The Long Blondes - "Fulwood Babylon (Erol Alkan Mix)". Try as I might, I can't really get into The Pipettes or The Long Blondes. I think they are both pretty cool, but their tunes just don't grab me. Until now. Thanks to the wonderful (and often ripped off by me) Green Peaness, I've finally found a Long Blondes song that I dig, mainly on the strength of the lyrics ("it's hard enough getting someone to like you / then you find out that they're nothing like you / and it's been a waste of time"; "if you want to know me, watch how i dance..."). (Website / Myspace)

09 - Joan As Policewoman - "Eternal Flame". I forget the backstory on this lady, but rest-assured that this is not a Bangles cover. I love this song and her other great tune "The Ride". This song is admittedly very singer-songwritery, but I'm such a sucker for great words and this song has them in spades. "Just in case you never knew / I can't be the lighter of your eternal flame". (Website / Myspace)

10 - Mezzanine Owls - "Lightbulb". Coming to me via the constantly Los Angeles-plundering Rock Insider blog and opening with a painfully hypnotic hook, this is yet another modern shoegaze classic. My only reservation? The verse sounds like a sped-up version of the classic Sarah Records tune "Yawn" by The Orchids. Oh well, if they ripped it off, it's good influences at least. (Myspace)

11 - Polytechnic - "Won't You Come Around". I remember seeing Polytechnic's name pop up on a Steve Lamacq list months ago, but I've never been caught by them until now. This song is nothing ground-breaking, but it's got hooks galore and thus deserves your attention. (Website / Myspace)

12 - Sparrow House - "When I Am Gone". Remember the first time you crossed eyes with Iron & Wine across a crowded room before the relationship matured and became overly secure? Well, have an affair with Sparrow House. (Website / Myspace)

13 - Josh Pearson - "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". The story of Josh T Pearson (pictured above) is the stuff of legend. As the leader of and genius behind the crazed Texan bliss that was Lift To Experience, he put on perhaps the greatest live show I've ever seen -- the closest that spirituality has ever gotten to a Fender Guitar amp. In my opinion, he is one of the all-time great wastes of potential. That sounds harsh I know, but this guy plain has it and I (selfishly) wish he would have produced more. His talent is a rare one. Need proof? Just listen to his complete dismantling of this Hank Williams classic. The boy is tortured. I hope he pulls through and puts it together once again. He is one of the great ones. (Myspace)

The Horrors

I realize that I typically post pretty little mp3 ditties on this blog. Well, not today. Let's go in a vastly different direction. Why? Let me explain.

On a personal note, I've always been a huge fan of the melodic. I love a nice tune. But, like most people, I also have an alter-ego that sometimes craves the complete opposite of what I may normally enjoy. Musically, this (not so) "dark side" has led me to ingest copious quantities of some heavily atonal (art damage) music over the past few years. Although I can typically only tolerate it in small doses, I have constant recent cravings for bands like The Fall and Suicide, not to mention a strange obsession with outfits like The Screamers and Cabaret Voltaire.

On a non-personal note, it's always interesting to see a young band take old influences and concoct them into something familiar yet fresh. I see that happening here with The Horrors. Look at the pictures. Yes, they look like Fall-Out Boy or Panic At The Disco, but these songs sound like NYC or Los Angeles circa 1975-1979. Maybe I'm missing something here, but are these songs really that different than what a band like The Screamers was trying to do? Granted, it's a little polished, but not really that much.

The Horrors have a great chance to do for Synth Punk what The Strokes did for The Velvet Underground & Television. Even if you don't love it, you have to at least admit that a song like "Sheena Is A Parasite" is light years ahead of She Wants Revenge. And those guys somehow managed to go pretty mainstream.

The Horrors : "Count In Fives" (mp3).
The Horrors : "Sheena Is A Parasite" (mp3) / You Tube video.
The Horrors : "Jack The Ripper" (mp3).

Website / MySpace.