The Wheel's Still In Spin

New Releases - 1 April 2008

There are some big named bands with releases this week, including the Danger Mouse produced Black Keys album, and new ones from Moby, Van Morrison, R.E.M., and Trina. With those in mind, here are some of the new releases that I recommend for the week:

The Annuals – Wet Zoo | buy it at amazon
Download “Sore” (mp3) by The Annuals
Sharing bands but splitting songwriters, The Annuals and Sunfold are comprised of the same six members. Performing the songs of Adam Baker, they take the name The Annuals. Fronted by Kenny Florence, they become Sunfold. On this split EP, the two bands showcase their varying styles. The Annuals’ lush arrangements impeccably complement Baker’s melodic and acoustic songs. Sunfold has a more electric, straight forward rock sound, with the final track, “Watering Pail,” ending with a lush ambience.

Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster... | buy it at amazon
Download “Death To Los Campesinos!” (mp3)
Reworking some songs that appeared on their stellar Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP, the domestic release of this Wales band’s first full length album lives up to all of the expectations. The band continues to be sharp and witty while honing a sloppy energy. This band is becoming one of my favorites bands with each release.

After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week.

Better Than The Chili: MusicNow Festival

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 music is "Better Than The Chili." This week, the spotlight will be pointed on Cincinnati’s premiere contemporary music event, MusicNow Festival.

Beginning in 2006, the MusicNow Festival was created as a showcase for “contemporary music and artists that take risks and do not fit neatly into categories.” Curated by Cincinnati native Bryce Dessner (of The National), the event is now in its third year. This year's festival will take place at Memorial Hall.

Wednesday, April 2nd will present a selection of experimental film accompanied by musical performances from Richard Reed Parry, Nico Muhly, Thomas Bartlett, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Padma Newsome, and Rachel Elliott (with “more added daily”).

Thursday, April 3rd will highlight the American guitarists with Benjamin Verdery and Bill Frisell’s 858 Quartet.

Friday, April 4th will showcase experimental, genre-defying musicians with Dirty Projectors and Bang On A Can All-Stars featuring Glenn Kotche (Wilco) and Bryce Dessner (The National).

The MusicNow Festival will spotlight contemporary pop bands Grizzly Bear and Andrew Bird on its final night, Saturday, April 5th.

Tickets are $15 for individual concerts and $40 for April 3-5. They are available here. However, Saturday night tickets and the 3-night package have already sold out.

www.musicnowfestival.org

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The Motion Sick – The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait...

Release Date: 1 January 2008 (Naked Ear Records)

Trying to ride the line between heavy themes and clever witticism, The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait... seems to struggle, but never suffer, from a dichotomy of maturity and blitheness. The general feeling of the album is an expansive, lyrical effort that intellgently deals with modern motifs of gloom in pop form.

Download “Jean-Paul” (mp3)
Download “30 Lives” (mp3)

Stage Left

Howard drives his Ford Explorer. It is the time of the afternoon that he takes a break from rehearsal to pick up his daughter from school. Since he had such a major role, he typically wouldn’t be allowed to ditch out of rehearsal. Due to the recent circumstances, Howard arranged with the producers of the show to have this daily break.

Pulling out of the parking lot, he puts a new CD into the player. The windows up, the climate controlled, Howard is secluded from the precarious world outside. The Motion Sick’s The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait… is an album that his daughter recently discovered. Originally, he played it because she liked. But it was remarkable how resonant the lyrics were becoming for Howard.

New Releases - 25 March 2008

With The Raconteurs and Gnarls Barkley announcing that their albums were either pushed forward (in the case of Gnarls Barkley) or suddenly that they would be released (Raconteurs), this week became an more exciting week of new releases. here are a few of my favorite new albums from this week.

Elf Power – In A Cave | buy it at amazon
After being one of the original bands of the Elephant 6 collective, Elf Power is still making catchy, pop albums. In A Cave, their ninth releases, shows the band still having a bed of warm, fuzzy distortion and keyboards beneath the melodic lyrics on tracks like “Spiral Stairs,” “Paralyzed” and “Softly Through The Void.”

eMC – The Show | buy it at amazon
This album from the rap group of Masta Ace, Punchline, Wordsworth, and Strick has a chronological theme. It tells the story of a day with the band getting to and performing a show on the road. Full of solid beats, the album is enhanced by the thematic concept and allows the group to rap about subject matter not typically covered.

The Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely | buy it at amazon
Obviously, every one was flabbergasted when The Raconteurs announced that their new album was completed and going to be released. With only one week’s notice, the band gave no interviews; there was just a press release and an announcement on their website. It only took minutes for the word to travel around the internet.
Fronted by Jack White and Brendan Benson, The Raconteurs are backed by the rhythm section of Cincinnati’s The Greenhornes, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. On this album the band seems to show some growing room as they mature into a cohesive collective; their sound has become more of their own on this album. The sound is flushed out with more use of keyboards and fiddle, but is still rooted in their breed of blues-rock. The closing track, “Carolina Drama,” is a classic Jack White story-song of murder, family betrayal, and falls from grace.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons | buy it at amazon
The first 1:16 of this album is filled with a single, dissonant whistle broken into 12 tracks. Then there are 4 songs, each over 13 minutes in length. With instrumentation that includes 2 guitarists, two violins, cello, contrabass, and drums, the band creates a sound that is part art rock and part folk rock while having the elongated sound of a prog rock band.

After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, John Vanderslice, and The Pasties - The Southgate House, Newport, KY - March 23rd, 2008

“Happy Easter. Happy Easter. Fucking pagans.”

With this opening greeting, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks broke in to the opening track from Real Emotional Trash, “Dragonfly Pie.” Focusing primarily on material from the band’s most recent release, the four-piece performed one of the best sets the Southgate House has seen in a while *. Between the raucous but concordant songs, Malkmus often bantered with the audience, making such comments as, “Newport has really grown up. It used to be a sup-port to Cincinnati. Now it’s its own place.”

During “Baby C’Mon,” from the previous Malkmus album, Face The Truth, it became apparent that Pavement should not get back together. With all of the talk recently about Pavement reuniting, I cannot imagine why Malkmus would want to get his former band together. Pavement has some great songs, which Malkmus rarely plays these days, and is seen as the ultimate band from the ‘90s. But the band Malkmus is currently touring and recording with is better than a reunited Pavement could be.

Songbook by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby’s Songbook is a collection of essays on 31 songs and 15 albums. It is not typical music criticism. This novelist does not get into the historical relevance or excessive emphasis on the musical miracles that coincided to create great pop music. He “wanted to write about what it was in these songs that made [him] love them, not what [he] brought to the songs.”

This form of musical appreciation makes the book much more personal that some that Greil Marcus or even Lester Bangs would write. These essays show how “Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen has continued to makes its way onto Hornby’s mix tapes for 30 years; how owning 20 albums by and knowing more historical facts about Bob Dylan than William Shakespeare does not make him a “Dylan fanatic”; and how Patti Smith leaves him “wanting to read, or write, or paint, or go to a gallery, or run fast…” As Hornby declares, “That kind of inspiration is rare, in any area of the arts.”

Better Than The Chili: Alone At 3AM

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."

Download “Mexico” (mp3)
Download “Sleep When I’m Dead” (mp3)

Alone At 3AM is a straight-forward rock band. Two guitars, bass, and drums. The band has a punk approach but with a pop aesthetic.

Alone At 3AM is releasing their debut full length CD, City Out Of Luck, on Tiberius Records. Technically, it was released digitally on Mar 11 and it hits stores on this coming Tuesday. Tiberius Records was started by the members of thistle as an avenue to release the band’s own albums. Since the label’s inception in 1996, Tiberius has also released albums by Death In Graceland, The Light Wires, Ampline, Cari Clara, and other Cincinnati bands.

Tonight, Friday, March 21, 2008, they will be playing their CD Release show at The Southgate House. $5 will get you into the show, which features 10 additional local bands playing throughout the historic venue. Accompanying Alone At 3AM will be Backround Music, Mark Cado, Dirty Bird, The Dopamines, Lost Hands Found Fingers, Swearengen, Sweet Impala, The Turnbull AC’s, and thistle.

www.aloneat3am.net
www.myspace.com/aloneat3am

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New Releases - 18 March 2008

There are a lot of releases this week. Of the albums to choose from, here are some of my favorites:

Destroyer – Trouble In Dreams | buy it at amazon
Download “Foam Hands” (mp3)
Dan Bejar (of The New Pornographers, Swan Lake, and now also Hello, Blue Roses) is the man behind the name Destroyer. On his latest release, Destroyer begins the album with some short catchy songs before moving on to some experimental tracks.

DeVotchKa – A Mad And Faithful Telling | buy it at amazon
Download “Transliterator” (mp3)
DeVotchKa is a Denver, Colorado, band that merges gypsy punk and traditional folk. They gained notoriety providing the majority of the songs to the soundtrack for the successful film Little Miss Sunshine. This is the band’s first release since that soundtrack. The album is full of impassioned songs with unique instrumentation and symphonious arrangements.

Adam Green – Sixes & Sevens | buy it at amazon
Download “Morning After Midnight” (mp3)
Along with Kimya Dawson, Adam Green started The Moldy Peaches. Sixes & Sevens is Green’s fifth solo album. 20 tracks in about 46 minutes. There are a lot of different influences on this album but it always seems to be catchy and soulful. This is a collection of songs that are short and sweet, simple and accessible.

Connie Price & The Keystones – Tell Me Something | buy it at amazon
A soul revue with funk influences, Connie Price & The Keystones, followed up their instrumental debut album, Wildflowers, with a hip hop masterpiece. By adding MCs like Big Daddy Kane, Blood Of Abraham, Mykah 9, Ohmega Watts, Percee P, Soup, Wildchild and vocalist Aloe Blacc to the band’s realistic revivalist sound, Tell Me Something pairs some of the best instrumental tracks with intelligent lyrics. The album is available as a 2 CD set - one disc with the featured guest and another of the instrumental versions.

She & Him – Volume One | buy it at amazon
Download “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (mp3)
Zooey Deschanel is the actress from films Almost Famous, Elf, Mumford, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. She’s also supposed to portray Janis Joplin in a future biopic. M.Ward is the singer-songwriter that created The Wheel’s Still In Spin’s #7 album of 2006. As She & Him, the two have created an album that sounds both retro and refreshing. Deschanel sounds like a 70’s songstress who croons with equal parts soul and country while Ward’s production perfectly accents her voice. I don’t think this album would have sounded as good with any other partnership.

After the jump, there is a list of more new releases from this week.

Better Than The Chili: Midpoint Music Festival

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 music is "Better Than The Chili." This week, the spotlight will be pointed on Cincinnati’s annual three-day music event, Midpoint Music Festival.

September 25-27, 2008

Registration: open until April 30, 2008 with late registration ending May 15, 2008. Click here to register. Or use Sonicbids.

Since 2002, Midpoint Music Festival has provided downtown Cincinnati three days of non-stop music. Focusing on unsigned bands, the festival has grown to include over 300 bands on about 20 stages. But this there will be a big change.

This past month, CityBeat announced it will be taking over operation and management of the Midpoint Music Festival. Read more about this here and here.

For the past five years, founders Bill Donabedian and Sean Rhiney have nurtured Midpoint into the little festival that could. They have stayed true to a focus on unsigned bands and given new bands from around the country a showcase to perform. Each year, they reported steady or strong growth in attendance. Now, with CityBeat’s leadership, the festival is ready to evolve even more.

CityBeat, Cincinnati’s weekly independent newspaper covering music, art, movies, dining, and entertainment, has been involved with MPMF since its inception in 2002 and has been involved in sponsoring local music festivals like MusicNow and Cincinnati Blues Festival.

The first change CityBeat announced is that there will be no industry panels this year. Just music. Also, there have been hints that they may have label showcases or highlight national headlining acts. There is speculation the festival will utilize different venues than it has in the past. The changes that CityBeat’s management will provided are guaranteed to life the festival to an even higher standard.

CityBeat will be sponsoring a MPMF Launch party at Below Zero on Wed, April 9th at 7PM. Saddle Creek Records’ Cursive will be performing with Capgun Coup.

www.mpmf.com
www.myspace.com/mpmf

Download music with eMusic’s 25 FREE MP3 Trial Offer. No Restrictions - Own Your Music!

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New Releases - 11 March 2008

Here are some of the new releases that The Wheel's Still In Spin recommends this week:

Kevin Ayers – Unfairground | buy it at amazon
Download “Cold Shoulder” (mp3)
Alluring orchestral arrangements, a captivating mixture of indie and classic rock production, and a career of melodic sensibilities make this album aurally engrossing. The guests on Unfairground include members of 30 years of melodious underground bands including Architecture in Helsinki, Ladybug Transistor, Neutral Milk Hotel, Psychedelic Furs, Roxy Music, and Teenage Fanclub.

The Mighty Underdogs – The Prelude | buy it at amazon
Download “Gunfight” (mp3)
Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Lateef the Truth Speaker (Latryx), and Headnodic combined to produce this album. Originally self-released last October, this infectious EP sees wider distribution today. All 6 tracks on this album are tight and range from dance to jazz influenced to “Gunfight.” Like the title says, this is a prelude to their full-length album, “Dropping Science Fiction.”

Transmissionary Six – Cosmonautical | buy it at amazon
Download “Zero Gravity” (mp3)
This album is full of atmospheric pop with jangling tones and drifting keyboards and synths. The music traverses the middle ground between Mazy Star and Cowboy Junkies. It’s mellow and catchy without sounding overly poppy or pretentious.

There is a list of more new releases after the jump.