The Wheel's Still In Spin

Better Than The Chili: Shake It Records

Once a week The Wheel's Still In Spin highlights a band from the Greater Cincinnati area. This week the spotlight is turned to Shake It Records. Whether you prefer Skyline or Gold Star you will agree that this record store and local label is "Better Than The Chili."

For 6 years in a row Shake It Records has been named Best Non-Chain Record Store in Cincinnati by the CityBeat Readers.

One of the best independent record stores in the Midwest the store’s (or even the whole country – check out the pictures on myspace site that show people wearing Shake It t-shirts at Amoeba Records) is located in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati (and about 3-4 blocks from my house). The store has a great selection of CDs, books, magazines, music related DVDs, and used CDs and DVDs. The basement of the store now holds its considerable assortment of vinyl. They keep the mainstream albums in stock, but this store specializes in stocking the releases from independent labels from “the obvious to the obscure.”

Shake It Records also hosts musical performances and meet and greet sessions from time to time. They’ve showcased local artists like Jake Speed & The Freddies and The Greenhornes; national acts like Frank Black, Sleater Kinney, and The Black Keys. Charlie Louvin’s May 2007 performance was recorded and released as an independent record store album. As CityBeat declared, “This is why we still need record stores.”

Shake It Records began as local record label in 1978. Throughout the 80’s the label was quite. In 1993 it was revived and has since released albums by The Ass Ponys, Greenhornes, Hogscraper, Pearlene, Thee Shams, Wussy, and many others.

This Saturday, May 31st, Shake It Records with celebrate the 30th anniversary of their record label with a show at The Historic Southgate House. The Customs have reunited and are re-issuing the Real Long Gone CD with bonus tracks. As an added bonus, The Long Gones will also reunite for the show. Shake It is releasing a new CD of the band’s complete recordings. The Tigerlilies will also be on the bill.

UPDATE: There is also a great promotion happening at Shake It Records in conjunction with RED Music Distributors. Shop at Shake It and you can enter to win 2 tickets to Bonnaroo this year. Shake It Records is one of eighteen independent record stores participating in this promotion.

www.shakeitrecords.com
www.myspace.com/shakeitrecords

Back to The Wheel's Still In Spin Mainpage.

New Releases - 27 May 2008

This week there are strong releases in multiple genres. From Al Green’s soul to Spiritualized’s indie rock, from The Herbaliser’s R&B to Shai Hulud’s metalcore, this is one of the most diverse list of weekly recommendations The Wheel’s Still In Spin has made.

Al Green – Lay It Down | Amazon CD LP MP3 | Insound CD
Soul legend Al Green gets some help from contemporary R&B artists on his latest release. The album is produced by ?uestlove and James Poyser. Green’s vocals, as always, are in top form, but he gets a little bit of assistance from Corinne Bailey Ray, John Common, and Anthony Hamilton. The backing horns are from the Dap-Kings. Besides Green’s incredible voice, the part that stands out most to me is Chalmers “Spanky” Alford’s bluesy, soulful electric guitar playing that brings to mind the smoothness of Steve Cropper at the top of his career. After the jump, there is a “behind-the-scenes” video of the making of this album.

The Herbaliser – Same As It Never Was | Amazon CD LP MP3 | Insound CD
This R&B album bounces through different genres. It gets into hip-hop and funk at times. It’s full of catchy songs and guest vocals from Yungun (Essa), Jean Grae, More or Les, and (mostly) Jessica Darling. It’s perfectly produced throughout and even the instrumental tracks on this album are enjoyable.

The Lodger – Life Is Sweet | Amazon CD LP MP3 | Insound CD LP
Download “The Good Old Days” (mp3)
Download “The Conversation” (mp3)
Life Is Sweet is ear candy – pure saccharine pop rock. The songs are full of catchy melodies and lap steel, violin, and 12-string guitar added to the typical guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums.

Shai Hulud – Misanthropy Pure | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD
Download “Misanthropy Pure” (mp3)
This metalcore band mixes the hardcore influence of a band like Black Flag with the metal influence of a band like Metallica to create a mainstream appeal while definitively remaining true to the metalcore aggressiveness. These are quick, short songs. There are melodic guitars, fast tempo drums that are tight with the bass, and guttural vocals that musical and fervent.

Spiritualized – Songs In A&E | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD
This is one of the more beautifully melodic indie rock albums of the year. Accompanying the rock band are layers of orchestration – strings, choral vocals, orchestral brass. There is an expressive earnestness to J. Spaceman’s vocal performance throughout the album. The melodies are alluring and the music is intensely exquisite.

After the jump, watch a video of the making of Al Green’s Lay It Down and see a list of more new releases from this week.

Better Than The Chili: Paper Airplane

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 “Missing” (mp3)
Download “Four trucks sitting in the snow” (mp3)

Half of Paper Airplane lives in the Cincinnati area. The other half resides in the Columbus region. Somewhere in between the cities, on I-71, there are some of Ohio's token attractions – King's Island amusement park, some outlet malls, the occasional waft of the ever-present cows, and a roadside billboard that declares, “Hell is real!” But Paper Airplane is the best thing that can call the space between Columbus and Cincinnati it's home.

Paper Airplane released Middlemarch in the Fall of 2007, but the album only recently fell upon my ears. Middlemarch is an alluring album with catchy melodies employing various pop production devices. There are vintage keyboards (“Missing”), string arrangements (“Fire Escape”), and reverse guitar tones (“Steps”) mixed with the diverse rock sound the band creates. Singer Ryan Horns’ voice and melodic choices are appealing. Overall, Middlemarch is one of the strongest releases, especially local releases, I’ve heard. Imagine an album made by Wilco between Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but with a strong Beatles influence.

Currently, in between live performances, the band is recording their next album at Ultrasuede Studio, the Cincinnati studio that has recorded the latest albums from the city’s best bands including Heartless Bastards, Wussy, and Buffalo Killers.

This weekend, Paper Airplane is playing three shows in the state with The Dreadful Yawns from Cleveland. On Friday, March 23rd, the two bands will be in Columbus at Ravari Room with The Loyal Divide. On Saturday, March 24th, both bands with be in Cincinnati at Northside Tavern with The Harlequins. And on Sunday, March 25th, they’ll play Sloopy’s in Dayton with The Seedy Seeds.

Saturday’s show, like all shows at The Northside Tavern, is free.

Buy Middlemarch from CD Baby

www.myspace.com/therealpaperairplane
www.sonicbids.com/paperairplane

Back to The Wheel's Still In Spin Mainpage.

New Releases - 20 May 2008

Here are a few of this week’s new releases that The Wheel’s Still In Spin highly recommends:

Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Lie Down In The Light | Amazon CD LP MP3 | Insound CD MP3
This Will Oldham album returns to an upbeat country sound, reminiscent of Master & Everyone. The production is mostly straight forward, without too many flashes, but unique instrumentation is added from time to time. The overall mood of the songs is generally uplifting and positive. This is definitely one of the better Oldham releases.

French Kicks – Swimming | Amazon CD | Insound CD
Download “Abandon” (mp3)
With singers Nick Stumpf and Josh Wise, French Kicks have released an accessible and melodic album. The band produced and mixed the album themselves and created a post-pop gem that shares a sonic similarity to the best work of their once tourmates, The Walkmen.

Islands – Arm’s Way | Amazon CD LP MP3 | Insound CD
Download “The Arm” (mp3)
Download “Creeper” (mp3)
First there was The Unicorns. Then that band broke up and two of the three members formed Islands with a cast of musicians. Next, Jamie Thompson amicably left the band leaving Nick Thorburn and his camaraderie of supporting musicians. Arm’s Way still retains the orchestral production of the band’s first album with violins and bass clarinet mixed into the guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums. This new album, however, is mixed better and stands out as a stronger release.

Okay – Huggable Dust | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD MP3
Download “My” (mp3)
Marty Anderson is Okay. He is mostly confined to stay home because of a rare stomach disorder. The music that Anderson makes is tactful and graceful folk pop. The songs seem simple, but are magnificently beautiful. As he sings in “Natural,” “You and me the exact same white light/ I could write you a novel tonight/ I could write you a new song each day/ It’s a natural part of my day.”

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

Better Than The Chili: Pomegranates

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 “Whom/Who” (mp3)
Download “Thunder Meadow” (mp3)

Earlier this week, the Pomegranates released one of the better albums of the year. It had been available from their label’s website since the beginning of April, but it saw wider distribution this past Tuesday, May 13th. Also, they were Spin’s Artist Of The Day yesterday.

The band began playing music together near the end of 2006. Four months into life as a band, they recorded the five songs that would appear on their self released EP, Two Eyes. A week after they released Two Eyes, they were signed to the independent Washington DC label, Lujo Records.

In August of 2007, less than a year after forming the band, Pomegranates recorded their full-length album, Everything Is Alive, in a six-day process. They state in the liner notes that they “didn’t use any pitch correction or metronome, which added a bit to the flavor of the album.” The album has that accessible energy level of a live recording, but the sound is tight and polished. The album melds the accessibility of pop with some of the experimental aspects of indie rock. It’s the best release by a local artist I’ve heard this year.

Below the video to “Whom/Who” is embedded.

Pomegranates will be opening for Joe Lally (of Fugazi) this Saturday, May 17th at Blue Rock Tavern.

Their next local show will be Sunday, June 22nd at Gypsy Hut in Northside.

Buy Everything Is Alive at Amazon CD MP3
Buy Everything Is Alive at Insound CD MP3

“Whom/Who” video:

www.myspace.com/pomegranatesart

Back to The Wheel's Still In Spin Mainpage.

New Releases - 13 May 2008

Here are a few of this week’s new releases that The Wheel’s Still In Spin highly recommends:

The Black Angels – Directions To See A Ghost | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD
Download “Doves” (mp3) from KEXP
This band takes its name from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song.” The music holds true to the sonic qualities of its namesake, from the tom pounding of the drums to the melodic drone of the fuzzy guitars. Vocalist Alex Mass sounds like Jim Morrison on some of the songs. Ultimately, this band summons the sound of ‘60s psychedelic rock.

Dosh – Wolves And Wishes | Amazon CD LP MP3
Download “If You Want To, You Have To” (mp3)
Multi-instrumentalist Martin Dosh is a member of Andrew Bird’s band. For his fourth solo album, Dosh creates an organic sounding electro-folk album. The album is full of guest appearances by Bird, Will Oldham and many more, but Wolves And Wishes is much more hypnotic and groove oriented than the work released by these artists.

Plantlife – Time Traveller | Amazon CD LP MP3 | Insound CD
This album has a distinctive ‘70s soul free to it. But it also mixes hip hop, funk, rock, and R&B. The album has an old school feel to it, but with modern energy and production. The opening track, “Time Traveller,” begins by stating “I was there when it all began/ I made the whole planet rock with Afrika Bam/ I had Melle Mel’s back when he was by the edge/ I used to wear them big suits with the Talking Heads” and goes on to declare being a part of most major moments in music history from telling “ACDC to come Back In Black” to telling “John Lennon he should leave the Beatles” and from being “with James Brown when he said it live” to “When Dre came along with the bag of chronic/ Then we all got high and made the Supersonic/ Yeah, a little different from the gangsta rap/ But I was with him and Snoop when they made all that.”

Pomegranates – Everything Is Alive | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD
Download “Whom/Who” (mp3)
Download “Thunder Meadow” (mp3)
This Cincinnati band calls their music “experimental pop.” This album sounds like Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot mixed with Modest Mouse’s The Moon & The Antarctic. Songs like “Whom/Who” and “In The Kitchen” show the Pomegranates’ upbeat, syncopated style, while melodies like the one employed on “Late Night Television” highlight the pop aspects of the band. But the song “Desert Hymn” keeps haunting its way into my head with the simple, clean guitar strumming backing by eerily ghostlike tones. In the liner notes to the album, the band describes how they recorded the album in four days and mixed it down in two. They “didn’t use any pitch correction or metronome, which added a bit to the flavor of the album.” The outcome is a true and honest rock and roll album that sounds fresh and unique on each track.

The Submarines – Honeysuckle Weeks | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD
Download “You, Me, & The Bourgeoisie” (mp3)
Married couple Jack Dragonetti and Blake Hazard shared lead roles in this band. The album volleys between a minimalist production and orchestra production. It is full of catchy melodies and diverse instrumentation. The band tours as a three-piece with a drummer added to the duo. I can’t imagine how these songs could be duplicated live as they are on this album since this release sounds much bigger than a three-piece band.

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

Better Than The Chili: The Hiders

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 “Plastic Flowers” (mp3)

The Hiders are a local band with roots from the best bands of Cincinnati’s recent musical history. The band is the led by Bill Alletzhauser, from The Ass Ponys and Ruby Vileos. Michael Horrigan, from The Afghan Whigs and Brendan Benson’s band, plays bass. Local jazz and blues drummer Tony Franklin keeps the beat. Rounding out the band is Beth Harris, who provides the sultry harmonies.

The band’s first self released album, Valentine, was well received with strong praise from World Café. This Friday, May 9th, the band will hold a CD Release Party at the Historic Southgate House for their newest release. Most of Penny Harvest Field was recorded with producer Brad Jones (Matthew Sweet, Josh Rouse, Richard Julian, Hayes Carll, locals Over The Rhine, and many more). Two additional tracks were recorded at Cincinnati’s Ultrasuede Studio with John Curley (also from The Afghan Whigs).

Penny Harvest Field sounds like a perfect amalgam of Americana influences, from Neil Young to Son Volt, from Emmylou Harris to Oakley Hall. The title track is full of lyrics of unlucky symbols and resolves with the lines, “I’m lying like a penny/ Facedown on the ground/ I wish someone would pick me up/ But they all think I’m bad luck.” All of the songs that I’ve heard from this album are addictive and more captivating with each listen.

The Kim Taylor band will be joining The Hiders at their CD Release Party this Friday, May 9th, at the Historic Southgate House.

www.thehiders.com
www.myspace.com/thehiders

Back to The Wheel's Still In Spin Mainpage.

New Releases - 6 May 2008

Here are a few of this week’s new releases that The Wheel’s Still In Spin highly recommends:

Firewater – The Golden Hour | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD
Download “Borneo” (mp3)
Download “3-Legged Dow” (mp3)
Tod A of Firewater trekked throughout the Middle East and East Asia for three years. Along with a blog called Postcards From The Other Side Of The World, this Gypsy Punk album chronicled his travels. He also recorded musicians in India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Israel with a single microphone and his laptop. With supporting artists from five different countries, this Firewater album was born.

The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age Of The Understatement | Amazon CD LP MP3 | Insound CD LP MP3
The Last Shadow Puppets is a side project for Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (The Rascals) with assistance from James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco) and Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy). The music has a decisively retro 60s and 70s feel, not unlike The Strokes with orchestral backings.

Russian Circles – Station | Amazon CD MP3 | Insound CD MP3
This three-piece instrumental band takes a page from fellow Suicide Squeeze artists, Six Parts Seven, with sprawling and lush melodically driven tunes. But Russian Circles adds much more to their sound. There are metal influences and discordant distortion cleverly thrown in between the melodic, jazzy riffs.

Insound is also offering a "Give More" program for selected touring artists. Every time you buy an MP3 album from Insound, Insound will donate $.25 to a touring band. They choose six lucky bands that they like (and one of them is Russian Cirlces), but you get to select the actual artist to earmark your quarter to. If you don't choose a specific band, they'll distribute the funds equally to all of the bands. All funds are to be used by bands to support their next national tour. Currently, the bands that will benefit from our donations are: The Big Sleep, Russian Circles, The Twilight Sad, Headlights, Epsilons, Videohippos. New bands will be added 2-4 times each year.

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

Better Than The Chili: Junior Revolution

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 “City That Never Wakes” (mp3)

After self-releasing their latest album near the end of 2007, Junior Revolution has embarked on a two month tour of the Eastern United States. Winding their way down the East Coast and then back up through the South, the band returns to the area with a few shows.

This Friday, May 2nd, at The Southgate House, Junior Revolution will play the Ballroom with 5 other bands. The Hanks, from Los Angeles, will be playing this and a handful of other Midwestern shows with Junior Revolution. Farmington, MI’s Empire Empire (that Will from Sound As Language recently interviewed) will also be sharing the stage along with the additional local bands All The Day Holiday, The Upset Victory and Oh, Here It Is.

After a few more Midwestern dates, the band will play in the area again on Saturday, May 17th, at the Madison Theater for The Host’s CD Release Party.

Junior Revolution has been through a number of lineup changes in the past five years, but seems to have settled on a solid musical team. Their most recent album, It’s A Process..., shows the current lineup meld multiple genres. With seven songs in about a half hour of music, the band mixed indie, emo, and progressive sounds into elongated pop songs. Throughout their songs, there is a layer of vocals with guitarist Jayson Hazelbaker, guitarist/keyboardist Daniel Erb, and bassist Brian Miller stacking their voiced atop Chris Denholm’s densely creative drumming.

www.juniorrevolution.com
www.myspace.com/juniorrevolution

Back to The Wheel's Still In Spin Mainpage.