The Wheel's Still In Spin

Best Albums Of February 2008

2008 is shaping up to be a very strong year. There was a great set of albums released during January. Now, February follows with even more fascinating albums. Here are my favorites:

1. Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride | buy it at amazon
   Download “Sax Rohmer #1” (mp3)

   John Darnielle started The Mountain Goats as a solo project recorded on his boom box and released on cassette. Those early recordings were full of acoustic guitar, emotional dynamics, and potent lyrics. After about a decade, The Mountain Goats landed on the label 4AD. With the release of Tallahassee, Darnielle’s subject matter became more directly internal. The production of the recordings has noticeably increased since the boom box days with John Vanderslice and Scott Solter now manning the consoles. With Heretic Pride, Darnielle appears to have returned to the subject matter of his earlier recordings while continuing to record at Tiny Telephone.



2. Nada Surf – Lucky | buy the limited edition [2 discs] or the 1 disc version at amazon
   Download “See These Bones” (mp3)

   When I first heard 2003’s Let Go, I was instantly attracted to Nada Surf’s music. “Blonde On Blonde,” “Inside Of Love,” and “Blizzard Of ‘77” had me hooked. With The Weight Of The Gift, I had to give the record a few listens before I was hooked and it wasn’t as strong of an appeal for me as Let Go. Lucky, their first album is three years, falls somewhere between those previous releases. It didn’t take as long to work its way into my head, but it doesn’t stick as strongly as the songs on Let Go. Perhaps it’s too difficult for a band to surpass the sound that perfectly captivated you. It may be my second favorite Nada Surf album, but it is still far better than most releases by every other band. And much like The Weight Of The Gift, this album grows on me even more with each listen.



3. Throw Me The Statue – Moonbeams | buy it at amazon
   Download “About To Walk” (mp3)

   Scott Reitherman is the man behind the curtain, so to speak. And what appears on the aural surface of Throw Me The Statue’s full-length debut is a realm every bit as clairvoyant and spellbinding as the land of Oz. This album received limited release in 2007. Now, Secretly Canadian has given Moonbeams a national release. The album is a bouillabaisse of indie pop goodness.



4. Headlights – Some Racing, Some Stopping | buy it at amazon
   Download “Cherry Tulips” (mp3)

   With their first full-length album, Kill Them With Kindness, Headlights attracted a lot of attention for their keyboard and reverb laden indie pop. On Some Racing, Some Stopping, the band continues to write accessibly poppy songs, but the production is more straightforward. The songs are layered with more instruments and guests on accordion, guitar, xylophone, and other instruments.



5. Lemuria – Get Better | buy it at amazon

   This three-piece band is a mixture of power pop and punk. Sheena Ozzela (guitar, vocals), Alex Kerns (drums, vocals), and Jason Draper (bass) all share songwriting duties on this debut full-length album. As I wrote a few days ago, this album “is an assemblage of distorted and restless ear candy.” (Sorry for using that same phrase, but I haven’t been able to come up with a better description for this album in the past few days)



6. Lightspeed Champion – Falling Off The Lavender Bridge | buy it at amazon

   Devonte Hynes, former member of Test Icicles, made an autobiographical album for his solo debut. Released on Domino Records, this album was created with the help of many members of Saddle Creek bands, included the production work of Mike Mogis. The instrumentation is mostly acoustic with horns, woodwinds, and pedal steel added. While it is a departure from his previous band, Falling Off The Lavender Bridge, is a layered and distinctive singer-songwriter album.



7. Aidan John Moffat – I Can Hear Your Heart | buy it at amazon
   Download “The Boy That You Love” (mp3)

   I’ve seen this album described as an audio novel, poetry, or “spoken word from the Scots Bukowski.” The album is accompanied by a written story, entitled “Poop,” to be read before listening to the audio story, entitled “Loop.” Atop the vinyl scratches and ethereal samples, Aidan John Moffat tells a broken love story that begins, “We like to fuck and shag/ We’re not in to making love.” It gets vulgar and descriptive. He recites the Dorothy Parker poem “A Very Short Song” and closes the album by covering Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart.”



8. Say Hi – The Wishes And The Glitches | buy it at amazon
   Download “Northwestern Girls” (mp3)
   Download “Toil And Trouble” (mp3)
   Download “Zero To Love” (mp3)

   Eric Elbogen shortened his band name from Say Hi To Mom to simply Say Hi with this release. The album is an infective set of synth heavy songs with indelible melodies and continuously gyrating rhythms.



9. Atlas Sound – Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel | buy it at amazon

   Brandon James Cox, of Deerhunter, released this album as a solo project under the name Atlas Sound. Lush layers of noise and keyboards create a musical bed that is sonically betwixt between haunting and soothing with Cox’s vocals washed with effects but still remaining mesmeric.



10. Jason Collett – Here’s To Being Here | buy it at amazon
    Download “Out Of Time” (mp3)

    As a member of Broken Social Scene, Collett keeps good company with Kevin Drew, Emily Haines (Metric), Feist, and Andrew Whiteman (Apostle Of Hustle), and many others. Collett’s solo albums are guitar driven and have a countrified classic rock feel while his vocals are sung with a glissando style reminiscent of a slightly more refined Dylan.

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Better Than The Chili: The Chocolate Horse

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this band is "Better Than The Chili." For the next few weeks, the Cincinnati bands that will be performing at SXSW will be highlighted.

Download “Whiskey Won, Fall Down” (mp3)
Download “Bedlight” (mp3)

Performing at SXSW: Wed 12 Mar 2008 at Spiro’s

The Chocolate Horse started as a three-piece side project from the Cincinnati band Readymaid with Jason Snell on guitar and lead vocals, Paul Brumm on upright bass, and Andrew Higley on french horn and bowed saw. Shortly after recording their debut album this past year, two more members were added to the band, Johnny Rusza on flute and Joe Klug on drums and percussion.

Snell’s vocals are neither strained nor offhanded. They are emotional and full of realistic intricacies. The unique and diverse instrumentation allows the band to sound deceptively complex, even in a live setting. There is a steady foundation of guitar, upright bass, and percussion. On top of that french horn and flute are subtly added to the occasional theremin-esque sound of the quivering and bowed saw. The combination creates a sound that is haunting and lucid, experimental and accessible.

The Chocolate Horse released their first full-length album, Patience Works!, in 2007 on vinyl, but usually included a free CD version with the purchase. That album gave the band Cincinnati Entertainment Award nominations for Album Of The Year and Best Alternative/Indie Band.

With The Chocolate Horse performing at SXSW this year, the band is looking ahead to an even better 2008.

After the jump, watch a video of The Chocolate Horse from the Gypsy Hut.

New Releases - 26 February 2008

There are a lot of reissues released this week. But The Wheel’s Still In Spin focuses on new music. Of this week’s new releases, there is one that I strongly recommend.

Lemuria – Get Better | buy it at amazon
Listen to some songs at www.myspace.com/lemuria.
After releasing a batch of split albums, singles, and EPs, this Buffalo, NY, band finally releases their first full-length album. The indie power trio is equal parts punk and pop without delving too far into the typical qualities of either genre. Guitarist Sheena Ozzela and drummer Alex Kerns share lead vocals and all three members, including bassist Jason Draper, contribute to the songwriting. The outcome is an assemblage of distorted and restless ear candy.

After the jump, see a list of more albums released this week.

Better Than The Chili: Wussy

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this band is "Better Than The Chili." For the next few weeks, the Cincinnati bands that will be performing at SXSW will be highlighted.

Download "Rigor Mortis" (mp3)

Performing at SXSW: Thu 13 Mar 2008 8:00 PM at Bourbon Rocks

Wussy has become one of the most reliable and highly praised bands from Cincinnati. From their first release, 2005’s Funeral Dress, to 2007’s Left For Dead, the band has received strong reviews from Rolling Stone, Spin, Blender, and plenty of others. The local scene has also bestowed the band the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best Alternative/Indie Band in 2006 and the 2007 Album Of The Year for Left For Dead.

Chuck Cleaver (of the Ass Ponys) and Lisa Walker share guitar and vocal duties and are supplemented by Mark Messerly and Dawn Burman. They write 3-minute songs that showcase a scattering of influences – from indie to shoegaze to alt country – but the band has the power to magically make everything come together with a strikingly tight undulation.

This year Wussy will be returning to perform at SXSW.

Also this spring, they will release the Rigor Mortis Redux EP on Shake It Records. It’ll have the studio and live versions of the title track, previously unreleased cuts - “Sweetie” and “Skip” - and a live version of Funeral Dress’s “Airborne.”

Tonight, Friday, February 22, Wussy will be performing at the Northside Tavern with Nathan Holscher.

Buy Left for Dead or Funeral Dress at amazon or directly from Shake It Records.

www.wussymusic.com
www.myspace.com/therealwussy

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New Releases - 19 February 2008

There is a long list of new releases this week, including Bon Iver, Grand Archives, and The Raveonettes. Of all the albums, here are a few highly recommended ones.

Atlas Sound – Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel | buy it at amazon
Listen to the album at www.myspace.com/bradfordcox.
Atlas Sound is a side project for Deerhunter lead singer Brandon James Cox. At times this album sounds ambient and haunting with multiple keyboards billowing on top of each other. Wrapped within its melancholic mystery, the album remains melodic and engaging.

Headlights – Some Racing, Some Stopping | buy it at amazon
Download “Cherry Tulips” (mp3)
The second full-length release from Champaign, IL shows the trio expand and mature. Still focused on driving and upbeat songs, the band has traded some of the airy and spacious sound of their earlier work for layers of pop sensibility on this album.

Justus Kohncke – Safe And Sound | buy it at amazon
This German DJ put together one of the better electronica albums I’ve heard in a while. The motion and beat mutations are fluid with great use of varying and upbeat styles. Continually altering its grooves, the beats evolve with near perfect timing.

Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride | buy it at amazon
Download “Sax Rohmer #1” (mp3)
John Darnielle has transcended the lo-fi production of his earliest boom box recordings, but his dynamics and vocal vehemence are still strong on his most recent release. His last few releases have been inspired by biographical elements of Darnielle’s life, from his teenage years to the death of his father to a dark time in his love life. On Heretic Pride the songwriter returns with an album of erudite songwriting. To get an illustrated interpretation for the subject matter of individual songs, check out the “comic book press kit” created by musician and comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis.
After the jump watch the video for "Sax Rohmer #1."

Throw Me The Statue – Moonbeams | buy it at amazon
Download “About To Walk” (mp3)
Overtop of rhythmic and melodic loops, Scott Reitherman has layered electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers, and lyrical candor to create a eclectic mix of folk-infused indie rock. This is an album that allows the listener to get lost in its nuances or soak in its simplistic beauty.

After the jump, watch a video from Heretic Pride and see a list of more albums released this week.

Better Than The Chili: Bad Veins

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this band is "Better Than The Chili." For the next few weeks, the Cincinnati bands that will be performing at SXSW will be highlighted.

Performing at SXSW: Wed 12 Mar 2008 10:00 PM (ASCAP Showcase) at The Dirty Dog

Bad Veins began as the recording project for Ben Davis. Eventually, Davis added another person in to his musical microcosm. Sebastien Schultz had previously been the drummer of Cathedrals, a local band which received high praise and earned a spot at 2005’s Lollapalooza before breaking up.

With Schultz on drums, Davis plays guitar and synth and handles the vocals. For their live shows, they are accompanied by a 1973 Pioneer reel-to-reel tape machine, whom they lovingly call Irene.

At their early shows, the band gave away a 4 song EP of self-recorded demos. All 4 tracks eventually charted on WOXY.com’s top 20. For those who weren’t fortunate enough to pick up the EP, you can now purchase the digital download of the album here. And additional songs can be downloaded from RCRDLBL.

Bad Veins is taking a short break from performing to record their full-length debut. They’ll begin playing live again in March before heading to Austin, TX, for SXSW.

After the jump, watch the video for "Gold And Warm."

Vampire Weekend - The Gypsy Hut, Cincinnati, OH - February 13th, 2008

Near the end of August 2007, Vampire Weekend made their first venture to Cincinnati, Ohio. The now closed contemporary art gallery Publico hosted the band. At that show, the band played for an intimate crowd and lead singer Ezra Koenig discussed his fondness for Cincinnati Bengal’s DE Frostee Rucker. It was more fondness for a grown man who stood 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 280 lbs still going by the name Frostee.

Tonight the band took the stage at The Gypsy Hut. It was a frosty night. The day after freezing rain and icy conditions overpowered the city of Cincinnati, Vampire Weekend walked on stage, half the band clad in V-neck sweaters and Koenig wrapped in a scarf. The sold out crowd of 300 tightly fans packed into the stage area of The Gypsy Hut’s multi-room bar. The rooms with billbiards, ping-pong, and dartboards were emptied for the duration of the band’s set.

Launching in to “Mansard Roof,” the opening track from their self-titled debut for XL Recordings, the band established their live sound as firmly and succinctly distinct as their recorded material. The song began by showcasing keyboardist, Rostam Batmanglij, while the pulsating stop beats of the punctually tight rhythm section established the uptempo direction of the entire set. As the other instruments flushed out the sound with quickened parts, Koenig’s guitar line was added with a blistering single note strum.

New Releases - 12 February 2008

Here are some highlights of this week’s new releases:

British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? | buy it at amazon
Near the end of 2007, British Sea Power released an EP entitled Krankenhaus?. This site named it one of the best albums of November 2007. Including the song “Down To The Ground” and an edited version of “Atom,” it was a teaser for Do You Like Rock Music?, the band’s third full-length album. While the band does have strong propensity for indie rock, the grandiose production lead to a panoptic and prodigious style.
After the jump, watch the band’s video for “No Lucifer.”

City And Colour – Bring Me Your Love | buy it at amazon
Stream the entire album at www.myspace.com/dallasgreen.
As the rhythm guitarists for Canada’s post-hardcore Alexisonfire, which was garnered with the country’s Juno Award for New Group Of The Year in 2005, Dallas Green has received prominent praise, awards, and sales. With the CD handle of City And Colour, Green also won the 2007 Juno Award for Alternative Album Of The Year for his solo debut, Sometimes. Anchored with his acoustic guitar and amicable vocals, Bring Me Your Love is a set of folk-based songs with an intimate aura.

Idiot Pilot – Wolves | buy it at amazon
Originally released in October 2007, this album was only available through the bands website or digitally through iTunes. Today it sees national distribution. Idiot Pilot is an electronic/rock duo who utilizes a diverse amount of influences. Produced by Ross Robinson a former Blink 182 Mark Hoppus, the album melds a strong Radiohead allure with a heavier, post-punk sound. For example, “In Record Shape” and “Red Museum” intersperse Thom Yorke vocal style with metal screamo vocals and double kick.

After the jump, watch a video from Do You Like Rock Music? and see a list of more albums released this week.

Better Than The Chili: Eric Matthew Tepe

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star, you will agree that this band is "Better Than The Chili."

After performing as a solo acoustic musician, Eric Matthew Tepe decided to record a six song EP at the hometown Ice Cream Factory Studio. Studio owner and musician Matt Parmenter suggested fleshing out the songs by adding a full band. As the sound grew so did the project. More songs were recorded and the album expanded to a full-length release entitled Right Shirt Wrong Shoes.

Tonight, Friday, February 8th, 2008, Tepe and his band, which includes Parmenter on bass and backing vocals, Ben Smith on guitar and backing vocals, Brian Kelley on drums, and Al Hidalgo on keyboards, will be playing the Southgate House Ballroom for the release of Right Shirt Wrong Shoes. Accompanying Tepe’s band will be The Kentucky Struts and The Vinyltones. Admission for the show is only $5 (or $8 for age 18-20).

To get a feel for the euphonious and savory sound of the singer-songwriter’s new album, visit Eric's myspace site where you can listen to two songs, “Her Shift” and “Polar.”

Also, a video of a live performance of “Her Shift” with the full band is infixed after the jump.

New Releases - 5 February 2008

This week “Super Tuesday” will be an historic day when the country makes some important choices. I know there are a lot of strong releases from which to choose. Here are some of my favorites:

Jason Collett – Here’s To Being Here | buy it at amazon
Download “Out Of Time” (mp3)
The third Arts & Crafts release from this member of Broken Social Scene mixes poetic, guitar driven tunes with country influenced songs. Collett says, “I’ve always tried to make records with a classic sensibility, so that they’re records you can listen to 20 years from now.” Accompanied on this album by his live band, Paso Mino, he succeeds in sounding refreshingly familiar while retaining a modern individuality.

Dead Meadow – Old Growth | buy it at amazon
Download “What Needs Must Be” (mp3)
After a 3-year break from releases, this stoner rock band from DC has returned with another album. Moving to LA and regrouping as a trio again, Old Growth is full of droney, classic rock riffs.

Die! Die! Die! – Promises Promises | buy it at amazon
Download “Sideways Here We Come” (mp3)
This New Zealand punk trio releases an admirably assertive album. It is well produced and combines piercing and probing guitar with yielding but unwieldy bass and exacting drums. The album does a good job of merging primal energy and crisp sound quality.

Lightspeed Champion – Falling Off The Lavender Bridge | buy it at amazon
This album is full of diversified influences. Produced by Saddle Creek’s Mike Mogis, there are nonpareil orchestrations of horns, woodwinds, and pedal steel. As the project of Devonte Hynes, the former member of Test Icicle, the songs are lively and unrestrained.

After the jump, watch the video for “Galaxy Of The Love.”

Nada Surf – Lucky | buy the limited edition [2 discs] or the 1 disc version at amazon
Download “See These Bones” (mp3)
Nada Surf has not released an album since 2005’s The Weight Of The Gift. The trio returns with another set of catchy indie rock with some assistance from Juliana Hatfield, Ed Harcourt, Ben Gibbard, and others. Songs like “Whose Authority” and “Beautiful Beat” beckon back to the pop of Let Go. This album also shows some diversity with the Beatles-esque “Here Goes Something” and the tremelo’ed guitar of “The Fox.”

Say Hi – The Wishes And The Glitches | buy it at amazon
Download “Northwestern Girls” (mp3)
Download “Toil And Trouble” (mp3)
Download “Zero To Love” (mp3)
With this release the band officially abbreviated its name from Say Hi To Your Mom. It is still the moniker for Eric Elbogen, who plays most of the instruments on this synth heavy indie pop album. The band still self-releases their albums on their own label, Euphobia Records, but the band’s sound has progressed from the lo-fi sound that made it popular.

School Of Language - Sea From Shore | buy it directly from Thrill Jockey or go through amazon
Download “Rockist Part 1” (mp3)
Field Music announced in April 2007 that they were ending. Not breaking up, but using name Field Music to become a collaborative to allow the three core members to explore and expand their musical interests individually and as a group. This is the first release to come out of that as Field Music’s David Brewis releases an incredibly interesting album under the moniker School Of Language. It is fluid and incessant with its quirky style of indie pop.

After the jump, watch a video from Falling Off The Lavender Bridge and see a list of more albums released this week.