The Wheel's Still In Spin

Best Albums Of April 2007

1. Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis | buy it at insound!

   For his first album since his days in Pulp, Jarvis created an album that stands with (and sounds like) some of the best against the grain, English pop singers like Elvis Costello, David Bowie, and Bob Geldof.



2. Cloud Cult - The Meaning Of 8 | buy it at insound!

   This album is expansive and diverse. Clocking in with 19 tracks, it covers music that ranges from straight ahead rock and roll, dance, music, orchestral soundtracks, folk rock – but all with a catchy, pop sensibility. All that and the band has refused to sign a major label deal. The New York Times has called the record label they founded, Earthology Records, “the world’s most environmentally friendly not-for-profit record label”.



3. All Smiles - Ten Readings Of Warning | buy it at insound!

   After Grandaddy called it quits with a weak final album, the band’s guitarist Jim Fairchild has released an indie pop sparkler. The melodies are entrancing. The dynamics and instrumentations are gapingly varied. And his voice makes you wonder why he hasn’t sung the lead before.



4. Jenny Owen Youngs - Batten The Hatches

   This is a powerful folk rock album full of guts. Originally self released in 2005, Batten The Hatches was released by Nettwork this month, after one of the stand out tracks, “Fuck Was I,” became popular.



5. The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters | buy it at insound!

   Hailing from Glasgow, The Twilight Sad has a distinctive Scottish accent in their vocals. The album somehow sounds layered and huge, but also intimate and personal. It’s a wonderful mixture of lush indie rock and post-rock music with descriptive and unique lyrics.



6. Bill Callahan – Woke On A Whaleheart | buy it at insound!

   His first album released under his true name, Callahan sticks to the intense, mellow music that made Smog a successful project. Woke On A Whaleheart is rich with piano, acoustic guitar, and Callahan’s deep voice and bellowing lyrics.



7. The Eames Era – Heroes And Sheroes | buy it at insound!

   “Little Brother,” the opening track to this self-released album, is an incredible song. The rest of the album holds up. Some of 17 tracks are short musical quips others are the pop stylings that make the opening track so damn catchy.



8. Bright Eyes – Cassadaga | buy it at insound!

   Adding a more polished sound than his previous releases, Conor Oberst and the rest of Bright Eyes have made a pretty good album. It isn’t as stellar of a release as I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, but this album still has some great tracks like “Four Winds” and “I Must Belong Somewhere.”



9. The Veils – Nux Vomica | buy it at insound!

   This is a genre defying sophomore release from his Britpop band. Finn Andrews is lead and only member of The Veils to return from 2004’s The Runaway Found. A guitar heavy album, “Advice For Mothers To Be” is the standout track.



10. The Bastard Fairies – Memento Mori

    A duo comprised of Robin Davey providing the music and Yellow Thunder Woman supplying the lyrics and vocals. They made a lo-fi pop album and gave it away as a free download on their website. With over 200,000 track and 50,000 full album downloads, the band has released the album with bonus tracks and a DVD.

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Love Is A Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield

Love Is A Mix Tape tells the story of how Rob Sheffield fell in love, got married, and lost his love to premature death. His description of Renee emphasizes all of the qualities that Rob loved about her. (I refer to them as “Rob” and “Renee” because the book is written with an honesty and personal touch that makes the reader feel like you are reading about two of your close friends – or at least two people who have now become two of your close friends.) He describes an energetic, beautiful, and unique woman. Renee sounds like a one-of-kind woman full of vivacity for both life and music.

The story is told through mix tapes. Each chapter has the listings of a TDK mix tape and the month and year the tape was created. The story chronicles Rob’s love for music and mix tapes from his childhood through recent years. These cassettes tell the story of how and what Rob learned about women, marriage, regret, growth, and solace.

I would guess that at least 5-10% of the sentences Sheffield has written are actually lyrics from the songs on his mix tapes. He throws them in the middle of his descriptions in a way that actually makes them more a part of his memories than as song lyrics – no quotes around them. If you don’t know the songs, you may not even recognize the references.

Cloud Cult - The Meaning Of 8

Release Date: 10 April 2007 (Earthology)

The 19 tracks of Cloud Cult’s The Meaning of 8 are full of diverse instruments. It implores acoustic and electronic drums. From one verse to the next, a song will have very different arrangements including typical rock band and orchestral instruments. The lyrics are all tied to stories of how the whole world is connected together. Good and evil, right and wrong, are all mixed together. The melodies are catchy and the message is meaningful. The scope of this album is vast, evocative, and eloquent.

Take Your Medicine (mp3)

Door To Door To Door

“Did you just knock?” I asked my girlfriend.

“I think someone’s at the door.” I got up from my computer where I had started to write this actual review. The front door was wide open. Through the screen I could see there was someone standing on the porch. He had a smile buried within his beard and wire-rimmed glasses. There were a few buttons on his little brown vest and laminated press passes hanging around his neck.

“Hey, how are you doing?” he asked as though he knew me.

“Ah, I’m good.”

“Good. My name is Craig. Is anyone is the house an artist at all?”

“Yeah. We’re both writers and musicians.”

“Oh. That’s great. I was asking because I’m from Writer's Memorial. It’s a monthly literary magazine. Artist's can submit their writings or artwork for publication in our magazine. We also send the submissions to the Library of Congress. So then they're like, preserved for all time. Pretty cool, huh?” He was reciting his pitch without much passion, but he somehow hit me on the right day.

Having been listening to Cloud Cult’s The Meaning Of 8 and checking out the band’s website, I was in a mode to support a grassroots organization. As their website explains, Cloud Cult was “established as a not-for-profit music centered environmental and philosophical movement.” They have “rejected major label record offers in favor of staying independent, so the band can do everything as environmentally friendly as possible,” even creating their own record label, Earthology Records.

Richard Swift and David Vandervelde - Southgate House Parlour, Newport, KY - April 15th 2007

My introduction to David Vandervelde came at SXSW 2006. He played drums, as the only accompaniment, for Jay Bennett. He was subdued, but seemed like a pretty good drummer. Then, in January, Vandervelde released The Moonstation House Band, an impressive album that showcased his musical, songwriting, and production skills.

A little less than two months ago, Vandervelde came through Cincinnati area. He played a free show at Alchemize after he stopped by WOXY.com to play a Lounge Act set. Since he played a free show so recently I wondered how many people would turn out to see Sunday night’s show at The Southgate House in Newport, KY.

Located on the south bank of the Ohio River, Newport’s Southgate House is a unique venue. It is a nineteenth century mansion converted into a multiple-leveled music venue. The second-floor Parlour is a small room. There’s a four-inch “stage” with a bookcase in each corner. Some people say The Southgate House is haunter. This is the room where most of the ghostly sightings have been. You can read more about that here.

The Decemberists - Brown Theatre, Louisville, KY - April 13th 2007

This was my third time seeing The Decemberists in concert. A few years ago I saw them at the Southgate House Ballroom in Newport, KY, with Bishop Allen. Last November I saw them at PromoWest in Columbus, OH. Friday night I drove down to Louisville, KY, to see them at the Brown Theatre. Driving from Cincinnati after work, I missed the opening band, My Brightest Diamond, whom started the show at 7:30 or 8:00. The first two Decemberists’ shows I attended were both in general admission venues. The Brown Theatre was lavish theatre that seated 1,400. That created a different atmosphere for this performance.

The band opened the show with “Oceanside.” The mood stayed light as they played “The Tain.” At this point, almost every member of the audience was still seated. Lead singer Colin Meloy asked, “Why don’t we all stand up for a minute?” From then no one sat back down. The set slowly picked up as the band played parts of “The Crane Wife.” For “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then),” My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden joined the band on vocals.

This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel J. Levitin

Daniel J. Levitin worked as a musician, recording engineer, and record producer. He then decided to devote his career to neurology. He studied the brain's functions and amassed an abundance of research about how the brain responds to music. He explains his theories and supports them with his research findings in This Is Your Brain On Music.

From the introduction of this book, it is very interesting. Levitin explains his love for both music and science and asks why anyone would want to mix the two. He draws interesting parallels between the two fields. And he argues that explaining the neuroscience of how the brain reacts to music, an art enjoyed by everyone throughout creation on some level, can begin to show us “the deepest mysteries of human nature” – our emotions, personal preferences, subconscious, and psyche.

Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis

Release Date: 3 April 2007 (Rough Trade / World's Fair)

Jarvis Cocker’s album, Jarvis, is full of juxtapositions. There are some upbeat, catchy songs. They’re full of advice not to trust the people in control or the men who pretend to love. Some songs deal with the topic of love. One explains, “Stormy weather always makes me think of you.” Another is about his baby coming back and it declares, “The sun is shining” and “say goodbye to rain.” Throughout the album, there is an overriding implication that the world has changed but no one is hearing the messages that it’s getting worse. This message is announced with cheerful and buoyant pop music. There is also the idea that the ones being harassed and held down will rise and one day rule the world.

Don't Let Him Waste Your Time (mp3) | Running The World (mp3)

A Job Can Bring You Down

The first day of work, Bill was excited about the possibilities. He was a tech nerd and working at Audio Video Training Tools, AVTT, seemed like a perfect fit for him. The longer he worked at AVTT, he realized he was in the right field but at the wrong company. There were many ways he felt the business could and should be run more efficiently and morally. But this company wasn't going to change its ways.

AVTT specialized in renting audio video equipment and supplying technicians for corporate events. Their clients were the major companies in the Boston area. Whenever Staples, Gillette, or Reebok held a corporate event, AVTT supplied the audio video services. For Bill, this allowed him to work in the field he enjoyed while keeping "regular" work hours for a change. But someone can only work so long in a negative environment before they need to leave their job. Or something worse might happen.

It reminded Bill of some of the main themes on Jarvis by Jarvis Cocker. The album is reminiscent of Elvis Costello & Bob Geldof’s individual best works. Tonally, Cocker’s voice sounds like a cross between Elvis Costello and Bob Geldof. Lyrically, he meshes the two musicians as well. Cocker will pair the skepticism and sarcasm of early Costello with the wit and criticism of Geldof. Musically, Jarvis is full of impressive dynamics, guitars, pianos, marimbas, woodwinds, horns, strings, and choirs.

None of the other employees enjoyed their occupations. They felt stuck in dead-end jobs. As Cocker sings in “From Auschwitz To Ipswich,” “God knows I know I ain’t living right/ I’m wrong/ I know I’m so wrong.” It is a song about how the modern capitalist society is going to fall like the Roman Empire did. “Evil comes/ I know not from where/ But if you take a look inside yourself maybe you’ll find something there”

Before The Music Dies

Before The Music Dies looked at the current state of the music industry. Once there were hundreds of record labels and radio stations operated by local owners. Now there are four major record labels and some conglomerated businesses owning a large portion of radio stations. At the same time, there are more musicians with more avenues of distribution available. The movie reflected on these shifts and how they affect the music being released to the ordinary listener.

One strength of this movie was the composite of interviews shown. The producers equally voiced the opinions of musicians, industry insiders, critics, and average music fans. The musicians were from differing genres and varying levels of popularity. ?uestlove bluntly explained the disparity between commodity and art. As commodity gains control, art disappears. Erykah Badu explained that there are 3 types of artists: the one who is in pain to express themselves, the one who knows how to imitate that, and the one who does what they are told. She continued to say that the first one will be more popular than rich, the second will be richer than admiration entitles, and the third is ever replaceable.