The Wheel's Still In Spin

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.

Southeast Engine - A Wheel Within A Wheel

Release Date: 16 Oct 2007 (Misra)

A Wheel Within A Wheel by Southeast Engine is an album that with the issues and personal dilemmas that one encounters when it feels like the world is stacked against you. This album is grounded in establishing the ideals and foundation by which to live a confident life. But that's only if you delve into the lyrics. If you just listen to the music you will get washed away in waves of electric guitars, pianos, organs, strings, glockenspiels, catchy melodies, and pop driven phrasing. It's album full of themes and musical ideas that any listener can relate to and desire to hear again and again.

Download "We Have Your Surrounded" (mp3)
Download "Quit While You're Ahead" (mp3)

The Happiness To Pursue

David has been through a lot in the past year. While he has always been a skilled carpenter, he primarily worked in the home construction field. He hasn't had nearly as much work with the decline in new home sales. The sudden drop off of work came after the best peak he'd ever known. This past spring and summer were a time that tested his ego and pride, his strength and skills, and even his devotion and faith.

David is reminded of how unexpected his life has been. Full of peaks and valleys, rewards and challenges, there seems to be a cyclic nature to it. It cannot be controlled. Some of the hardest struggles he has lived through have led to the most gratifying decisions. He can’t help but think of these phases of his life as smaller sequences in his recurring life on earth. It’s all just A Wheel Within A Wheel.

The latest album by Southeast Engine is full of a diverse and dynamic instrumentation. The production is stellar. The layers of guitars and keyboards create a sound that brings to mind what Son Volt would sound like if that band was recorded by a producer with a strong regard for the later Beatles albums. The lyrical content worked perfectly as the soundtrack for David's struggles.

Weakerthans - Reunion Tour

Release Date: 25 Sept 2007 (Epitaph / Anti)

Imagine a band hosting a poker tournament between Fountains Of Wayne and The Decemberists. There would be some interesting conversations. They'd probably talk about music. There would have to be some storytelling. Some tales would be hard to believe, but told with an impeccable poker face. Some would seem most likely true based on the attention to the minute details. The hosts for this tournament are Canada's The Weakerthans. Even if they lost every hand, they ended up with a 37-minute album full of catchy, upbeat melodies and character driven musical exhibits.

Download "Sun In An Empty Room" (mp3)
Download "Night Windows" (mp3)

Greg's Move To Start Over

"What are you doing?" Paul asked in such dismay that it almost sounded forceful.

"I was just going to make a few more mixes for the road," Greg calmly tried to explain.

"You need to just pack all this stuff. You'll never leave if you don't."

He knew Paul was right, but moving back to his hometown, back to his parent's house, was not easy for Greg.

It seems like it would be hard to pinpoint when things started going bad. The job, the apartment, the money situation. Nothing seemed to be going his way. But it all started to unravel when Beth broke up with him. That one event was not responsible for everything that followed, but it was the catalyst that started the downward spiral.

After pausing for a minute, Greg decided to stop making mixes. He put on a CD, The Weakerthans’ Reunion Tour, and asked his friend, "Mind helping me load up the car?"

"That’s why I’m here."

Oakley Hall - I'll Follow You

Release Date: 11 Sept 2007 (Merge)

Oakley Hall made my list of The Best Albums Of 2006. They mix together a cache of influences. There are rural tones, from fiddles and slides, to urban timbres, like distorted guitars and organs. Their latest album, I'll Follow You, throws the songbooks of country, rock, folk, and punk into a cauldron to make a thick, rich stew of original excellence.

No Dreams (mp3)

Charlie And The Music Factory

While most of Charlie's family seemed disconnected from his Uncle Jeff, the two had something in common. Charlie always looking forward to visiting his uncle and even went out of his way to do so. You see, the two both loved music.

Uncle Jeff grew up listening to the radio. He dreamed of being a radio DJ, spending his days listening to music, and talking about the music he loved. As it turned out, he spent his career as a computer programmer. But he spent most of his truly expendable income on music. In addition to buying the music he loved, he was also working on a collection of every song that every charted on Billboard.

During this particular visit, Charlie got into a conversation with his uncle about the genres of music.

"When I read a review or description of a band, they pigeonhole it into a specific sound. But when I read an interview with the bands I really like they always say they can't describe their music and list a wide range of influences. Why does all the music have to be defined by a specific genre?" Charlie asked.

Uncle Jeff never hesitated to speak his opinion as fact. "Because the record labels have to sell the music. They only know how to sell things that they can put in a box. So they market music by describing it as the sound the consumer is looking for. So we get these buzz words. A few years ago it was all about alt country. Now it's indie rock everywhere. But there's always going to be musicians who defy the genre specifics and keep making great music no matter what."

Okkervil River - The Stage Names

Release Date: 7 August 2007 (Jagjaguwar)

It was hard to write a short story review of this album. Lyrically, each song reads like a short story on their own. And the whole album adds up to a very descriptive tale. The imagery and symbolism is clear and tangible. Musically, the album is dense, dynamic, and diverse. The elements combine to create one of the best albums of 2007. Since the album is such a conceptual project, it seemed the best way to capture it's aura was to write this review as a movie script with a few of the songs from the album being the soundtrack to the movie.

Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe (mp3)

Steven's Movie

MUSIC: "OUR LIFE IS NOT A MOVIE OR MAYBE" BY OKKERVIL RIVER. The percussive acoustic guitar and subtle sustained tones open the film with a BLACK SCREEN

FADE IN:

EXT. B&W - CLOSED MOVIE THEATER

MUSIC lyrics "It's just a bad movie, where there's no crying"

CREDITS and MUSIC CONTINUES over following.

John Vanderslice - Emerald City

Release Date: 24 July 2007 (Barsuk)

Emerald City is named for the Green Zone in Baghdad. Like Vanderslice’s previous albums, the songs on this release are character driven. However, each portrait refers back to images of the attack on the Twin Towers, the War On Terrorism, and Iraq conflict. Vanderslice does not attempt to give an editorialized expose into the Iraq War. Instead he emphasizes how this political issue haunts the psyche of America. His song writing is well crafted and laced with subtle nuances of shrewdness.

White Dove (mp3)

Now Back To You, John

Cynthia Robinson from Channel 11 is driving in her yellow convertible. The windows and roof are down because her on-air event was done for the day and her hair could take the abuse of the wind. She had just completed the footage of the local army reserve unit returning from Iraq. Since this was a planned event, she had driven separately from the rest of the crew. The producer and cameraman are heading back to the station to edit the piece. Cynthia is going to get a late lunch before heading back to work. She is going out of her way to her favorite Italian restaurant. Driving her convertible stereo, she is listening to John Vanderslice’s Emerald City.

The opening track is “Kookaburra.” This track sums up the major themes of the album. It juxtaposes opposing ideas of the same event. It begins with an acoustic guitar and the optimistic opinion that “Lightning shot from the sky/ It breathed life into every living thing.” Then the mood of the song shifts and the darker electric guitar chords tap out the rhythm. The lyrics change to say, “It can’t be stopped,” “We can’t be saved,” and “Lightning shot from the sky/ It gives it takes away from/ Every living thing.” The song shifts back and forth, much like the album does. It does not tell the listener what impression to create. It notates the different views. It chronicles the varying opinions.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Release Date: 10 July 2007 (Merge)

For their sixth studio release, Spoon has created another music gem. With strong dynamics, the songs can volley from sparse to layered arrangements. Instruments can drop out, but the melodies and rhythms stay intact. Some songs are played with a similar style to previous Spoon tracks, while other moments on the album sound like the band is reinventing itself. Throughout the ten tracks of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga the band presents its miraculously mesmerizing indie pop.

The Underdog (wma)

DaDa DaDa Dancing

Suzy sat on the college green. She was reading her economics text as best she could. It rarely made sense to her. But if she wanted to graduate she had to complete the class.

The sun was shining. It had barely begun to head to the western part of the sky. It was summer session at the university. Not a lot of students enrolled for the summer, but those that did often sat on the green in the afternoon. Some of the students were studying on this clear day. Some were lying out, getting a tan, and avoiding their schoolwork.

It was somewhere between supply and demand that Suzy got the distraction she needed. Two stereo speakers were placed in the window of a dorm adjacent to the green. The music was turned up extremely loud. And it was Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Rocky Votolato - The Brag And Cuss

Release Date: 19 June 2007 (Barsuk / Second Nature Recordings)

Rocky Votolato picks up where Makers left off. The Brag & Cuss has the same raw, emotive power as the previous release, but adds a fuller sound with the help of musicians that play with Sufjan Stevens, Cat Power, Hank Williams Jr., Pedro The Lion, and Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter. Throughout it all, Votolato’s unique vocal phrasing gives the songs an original sentiment.

Postcard From Kentucky (mp3)

The Edges Of Character

Tom’s face, scraped up and decorated with a black eye, solemnly gazed at the pitcher of beer. The torn knuckles on his hand held his cigarette. Tom’s teeth made an indented ring around the filter. It had been almost a year since Tom & Lenny had seen each other. Now they sat with a pitcher of beer between them.

“Howya doin’,” asked Lenny. It was a casual question, but he didn’t intend for it to sound as offhand as it did.

As Tom’s chiseled face broke into a smile, Lenny noticed two things. First, a few chipped teeth and some random scars showed signs the continual fights. But behind his guarded eyes, Tom still had that golden look that made everyone around him feel comfortable. It was that same glow that helped create all the best and worst moments of Tom’s life. Lenny never noticed how his friend’s essence held the desire for the extremes of his character.

After the brief pause, Tom answered, “Not bad. I guess. You?”

Lenny kept up his end of the conversation. No matter where the discussion went, he kept looking at Tom. He was an anomaly. He was a simple man, a scrapper who always seemed to get in fights. But he was full of an energetic spark that could turn the most stalwart individual into a lemming. It reminded Lenny of an album to which he had been listening.

The Brag & Cuss by Rocky Votolato was full of countrified electric picking and bass heavy guitar lines. Those full tones were rounded out by solid drumming – from the toms of “The Wrong Side Of Reno” to the snare drum that steered “Before You Were Born” like an 18-wheeler on a Sunday afternoon. Votolato’s voice sounded strong even when he sang tenderly and gravely. Always front and center, it allowed the lyrics and vocal phrasing to nonchalantly drive the songs.

Lewis And Clarke - Blasts Of Holy Birth

Release Date: 15 May 2007 (La Société Expéditionnaire)

If I had heard Lewis & Clarke's Blasts Of Holy Birth last month, it surely would have made my list of “Best Albums Of May 2007.” Usually, I’m not a big fan of long songs. This album is one of the exceptions. While the songs average about six minutes each (with an eight and ten minute song), my attention doesn’t wander as it normally would with songs of this length. It is a relaxing, soothing album.

Before It Breaks You (mp3)

Deliberately Free Contemplation

Henry laid down on the floor on his back. This simple action was the beginning of a ritual. He focused his mind on his feet and imagined they were made of lead. He visualized they began sinking into the floor. As the weight began to drift to his ankles, he allowed his hands to also gain the added mass. His extremities felt as though they were below the thick carpet. Slowly his arms and legs became entrenched in the floor. For Henry, the hardest part of this exercise was releasing the tension from his shoulder and allowing them to submerge into his surroundings. It took a while to visualize the entire process, but eventually this entire body was completely relaxed and immersed into the blue carpet that covered his living room floor.

Now that his body was calm and at ease, he began comforting and freeing his mind. Henry did this by concentrating on his breathing. He would feel the air enter his body and think about the motion that breathing created. He envisioned the cells contracting and dispersing. The act of breathing, the natural way he stayed alive, was how each individual molecule traveled throughout his body. Even in total rest, his body was continually in motion.

Henry would not try to limit thoughts from entering his mind, but he would try to free himself from controlling his thoughts. He let the ideas in his mind take their own flight. He tried to release the worries about his job and thoughts about his girlfriend. He tried to clear his mind into a blank slate and then begin letting thoughts enter one at a time until he had achieved some wisdom. Not always attainable, the birth of some wisdom was the final goal.

This particular day, Henry was having trouble wiping clean his psyche. He had been listening to Blasts Of Holy Birth by Lewis & Clarke. The album was full of deep moods, set and layered by the natural sounds of cellos, drones, acoustic guitars, pianos, double bass, and light drums. The difficulty Henry was experiencing was the biggest hurdle in his meditative process. Once he had relaxed his body, his mind would still hold on to the energy of his daily life. This predicament made his mind reflect on the title track to the Lewis & Clarke album with the lyrics “Are we sick of settling/ Is it because we’re doomed/ There’s a nervous kind of energy/ That slowly fills the room.”

Richmond Fontaine - Thirteen Cities

Release Date: 22 May 2007 (Union / El Cortez Records)

Richmond Fontaine’s Thirteen Cities is an incredible album. Deep within the layers of guitars, horns, pianos, lap steel, and organs there are eloquent and expressive stories of despair, alcohol, and redemption. Full of real life imagery, this album captures a mood and style rarely reenacted in musical form.

Moving Back Home #2 (mp3)

Drifters, Drunkards, and Delinquents

His pen scratched endlessly on the pad of paper. His cigarette burned away. He’d only taken two or three drags on it. It would end up a curled string of ashes before the writer would take a break from his stream of consciousness. In this dim lit bar there were a few booths with yellow lamps above them. In the late afternoon, after work, the writer sat in one of those booths with a pitcher of beer, his notebook, some pens, and a few personal belongings.

His latest collection of stories was an attempt of writing Southwestern stories in a Raymond Carver style. Where Carver’s stories represent the blue collar, white-bred lifestyle of a struggling class of Americans, our author was writing a new set of stories about grappling with daily life in modern Southwest America. Western America always seems to hold the ideals of the future. The writer was trying to encapsulate the country’s prospects with a backdrop of lives that are struggling to make ends meet.

On a different day, he would put a collection of quarters into the jukebox and let the music guide his pen. Today he had headphones on and was listening to Thirteen Cities by Richmond Fontaine.

The album was full of lap steel guitar, honky tonk pianos, trumpets, accordions, and steel string integrity. It was the perfect music to inspire tales about the land between interstates 10, 80, 25, and 15. The lyrics were descriptive and imaginative. They told tales of drifters, drunkards, and delinquents.

BrakesBrakesBrakes (The Brakes) - The Beatific Visions

Release Date: 8 May 2007 (Rough Trade / World's Fair)

The Brakes’ The Beatific Visions was originally released in the UK in November of 2006 on Rough Trade Records. Since Rough Trade has worked a deal with World’s Fair to release their albums in the states, The Beatific Visions was finally released here this month. However, there was already a band in the US called The Brakes, so this album was released in this country by BrakesBrakesBrakes. The name alteration doesn’t change anything about this great album. It’s still full mostly of 2-minute songs that volley between punk, indie rock, and country influences.

Hold Me In The River (mp3)

Teddy Wasn’t Born Guilty

Teddy always wore a different old school shirt everyday to work. One day the white Ramones logo on the black t-shirt. The next day was an off white shirt with the Flying Burrito Brothers bubble style logo. Then there was the army green Guided By Voices one with the GBV beer bottle in a red circle and the words “My Kind Of Soldier.” If he wasn’t wearing the t-shirt of one of his favorite bands, he usually had a unique Western shirt with snap buttons. There was no telling where he got these shirts, but he seemed to have a closet full of them. No matter what shirt he was wearing, he almost always also wore his denim jacket.

It’s hard to explain the kind of energy Teddy embodied. Maybe he ate too many Snickers bars, maybe he was raised on Ritalin, maybe he did coke. Whatever the reason, he was full of wit, charisma, and genuine good spirit.

He worked at a national chain guitar store. On the speaker system in the retail store, an album played. It personified Teddy. It had the short quick spurts of humor and dynamism. It had the mixture of punk rock, country rock, and rock and roll. It was The Brakes’ The Beatific Visions.

Dinosaur Jr - Beyond

Release Date: 1 May 2007 (Fat Possum)

It’s been 15 years since the original Dinosaur Jr lineup of J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph recording an album together. The album, Beyond, not only sounds like the classic Dinosaur Jr albums, it highlights some of the best music these musicians have made. It’s almost as if these guys were holding on to some of their best stuff for this album, which harkens back to the sound of Without A Sound and other Dinosaur Jr albums.

Almost Ready (mp3)

This Is A Story Of True Victory, But The Road Is Long…

“When he opens his mouth, knock him in the teeth. Then hit him in the stomach over and over again. Ha. He drops his pants.” Bill, the avid video game collector of all systems old and new, was reminding Kyle how to beat King Hippo on Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! It had been at least 15 years since Kyle played this original NES Nintendo 8-bit video game. Having made it past his first four opponents, Kyle as Little Mac was beating King Hippo pretty easily.

“What have you been listening to lately?” asked Kyle as he alternated between the A and B buttons to repeatedly hit King Hippo’s tummy.

“I’ve been listening to the new Dinosaur Jr album,” Bill told him.

“Is that album any good?”

“Yeah. You want to hear it?” Bill asked as he pressed play on the disc changer’s remote.

King Hippo had been defeated and Little Mac was meeting his next adversary, Great Tiger. Throughout the fight, the jewel on Great Tiger’s turban flashes. This signifies an oncoming jab. Through Bill’s speakers, “Almost Ready” began playing. The song started with a searing J. Mascis solo and the tight rhythms of a masterful band reuniting for one of their best albums. At exactly 2:30 into the round, Great Tiger quickly spun around the ring and swung his power punches. By 2:30 into the song, the sound had been layered with the chorus vocals, extra rhythm instruments, and a guitar solo in each speaker. It was a powerful flashy song to accompany a foe of similar description.

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.

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”

The Fratellis - Costello Music

Release Date: 13 March 2007 (Cherry Tree)

Costello Music is a well-produced album full of intense guitar tracks, resonant bass lines, exceptional drumming, and commanding vocals. The songs are captivating and earned the band the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act.

Henrietta (video) | Flathead (video) | Whistle For The Choir (video) | Chelsea Dagger (video) | Baby Fratelli (video)

The Incorrect Fratellis

Mikey Walsh got the gang back together. It wasn’t too tough. Since they saved the Goon Docks, they never left the area. Actually, Chunk asked Mikey to get everyone together. Chunk, who’d lost a lot of weight and was now unable of performing the “Truffle Shuffle,” knew some people wouldn’t show if he organized the meeting.

“Alright, Mikey, what was so important that you called this meeting?” asked Brand, his older brother.

“Yeah, Mikey. Spill it,” demanded Clark “Mouth” Devereaux.

“Actually Chunk has an announcement.” Since Chunk lost the weight, he has gone by his given name of Lawrence Cohen. But his old friends still call him Chunk.

“The Fratellis are out of jail,” announced the once chubby Goonie.

“Not that again,” said Richard “Data” Wang. “You keep saying that.”

Stef Steinbrenner stood up. “I’m out of here.”

“Yeah, me too,” added Mouth. Everyone started to get up.

“Guys, wait. We’ve got prove,” declared Mikey.

“Like when Chunk saw that black Jeep Cherokee and was certain Ma Fratelli was driving it?” Brand asked rhetorically.

Andy Carmichael-Walsh, now Brand’s wife, added, “Or when you lost your marble bag, Mikey, and Chunk swore the Fratellis must have stolen it looking for One-Eyed Willie’s treasure?”

“No.” Mikey took a hit from asthma inhaler. “This.” He held up the new album Costello Music by The Fratellis.

Son Volt - The Search

Release Date: 6 March 2007 (Transmit Sound / Legacy)

After Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar has recorded as a solo artist, as part of Gob Iron, and most notably as Son Volt. The Search is his most recent album and the fifth with the moniker of Son Volt. On this album, the band adds organ, electric piano, string effects, backwards loops, a horn section, and electric bouzouki to its familiar sound. By doing so, they have created their best album to date.

The Picture (mp3) | Circadian Rhythm | The Search

Developing In Shade

The rehearsal was over. Kevin had about an hour to burn before the dinner would begin. It would be enough time to smoke a few cigarettes. Ryan, his younger brother, was marrying a beautiful woman. Kevin, two years older than the groom, was still single. In fact, he didn’t bring a date to the wedding.

As he burned through his cigarettes, he kept thinking, “Feels like driving around in a slow hearse.” That was the opening line to the new Son Volt album. With mellow piano line, twirling guitar part and muted drums, “Slow Hearse” captured his emotions.

Kevin didn’t just grow up in Ryan’s shadow. The younger Spinter brother eclipsed him. It was as though Kevin vanished in the shade of his younger brother. They were two years apart, but Ryan was more popular. Ryan was the younger of the two brothers, but not the smaller of the two. At the altar, he would stand over six feet tall. In high school he was a running back in the fall and the power hitting first basemen in the spring. He was also the third runner up to valedictorian at graduation. Now he was quickly moving up the corporate ladder at Dell and marrying his college girlfriend, the stunningly gorgeous Lisa.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Release Date: 6 March 2007 (Merge)

Neon Bible is one of the best albums of 2007. It showcases diverse dynamics and instrumentation. Many of the songs consist of multiple scrolls worth of lyrics. The themes in this album are of fear and anger. Overall, the sound is a mixture of beauty and gloom. It has a pace and undercurrent that keeps it hauntingly moving forward.

Black Mirror (mp3)

Saving The World

“Reverend Ted Haggard stepped down from his position as pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs after being accused of purchasing methamphetamines from, and having a homosexual relationship, with a male prostitute.”

Click. “A helicopter was shot down today in Iraq. The government has not released any further information at this time.” Click.

John took a sip from his bottle of Fat Tire. He asked Steven, “So what’s your new job.”

“I work at a biodiesel plant in Boulder. Testing the fuel.”

“You enjoying it?”

“Yeah. It’s not a bad job. And it’s a renewal energy that’s going to be the future. It feels good to know I’m doing my part to fuck the man.”

John and Steven often did this. They got together and talked about the issues that were shaping the world and sharing stories of affecting change. It almost always took place over a twelve pack of beer.

Gruff Rhys - Candylion

Release Date: 6 March 2007 (Team Love)

Candylion is a concoction of psychedelic, folk rock, and pure pop music. For his second solo album, the lead singer of Super Furry Animals, mixes acoustic guitar, strings, some keyboards, an occasional xylophone, and a few trumpets and flutes. Gruff Rhys creates an eclectic album that will leave sugar dripping from your ears.

Candylion (mp3)
Candylion (video) | Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru (YouTube video)

My Rental Truck Chauffeur

My girlfriend and I were buying a used couch from some friends. Since they were purchasing new furniture, we bought their matching set of couch and chair. To get it to our house we had to rent a U-Haul. The reservation was made about a week ago, but when we went to pick up the U-Haul truck I was told that the reserved vehicle was not available. They were expecting to get a return around noon, but the customer called and pushed it back to the middle of the afternoon. There was a truck available but it would have to be picked up from the service station – about 45 minutes away. We could drive and pick it up or U-Haul could drive me there. As compensation, they gave me my first 50 miles for free.

I decided to take the free ride. My girlfriend went back home. I went to tell the guy behind the counter that I’d ride with him – thinking I’d be riding in a U-Haul truck.

I made a phone call to my friends to tell them I would be late picking up the furniture. Then I found out I was riding shotgun in a small Ford hatchback. The backseat of the car was loaded with trash – discarded paper plates, empty fast food bags, and crumpled paper – piled to the top of the front seats. There were sticky dark stains, soda or coffee (I hope), that looked splattered across the inside of the windshield. There were empty Starbucks one shots scattered on the floor. And there was a white sock slightly hanging out of the full glove box.

My U-Haul guide, Jay, literally fired up the car. I think a caught a view of sparks in the rearview mirror. The engine sputtered and we were on our way. Jay pressed play on his CD player. Out came a wondrous, new album. Candylion by Gruff Rhys.

The album started with a track called “This Is Just The Beginning.” It had some trippy keyboard parts and acoustic guitar as a base. Spoken like a 60’s instructional record, a female voiceover declares, “Welcome to Candylion, an album of 11 songs for the acoustic guitar and voice. But this isn’t a song. This is just the beginning.” This was going to be a unique drive.

The Papercuts - Can't Go Back

Release Date: 13 February 2007 (Gnomonsong)

Can’t Go Back is the third album by The Papercuts, a band that is fronted by Jason Quever. Recorded at his Pan American Recording Studio in San Francisco, the album has a wall of sound that subtly evokes everything from The Zombies to Wilco.

Dear Employee (mp3) | John Brown (mp3) | Summer Long (mp3)

An Account Of Continental Influences

Emily wanted a change. She had lived in San Francisco all of her life. While many people were envious of her upbringing, she wanted to move. After breaking up with the man she’s been seeing for the past five years, she put an ad in the London Times that read “Trade my 2-bedroom apartment in San Francisco for your 2-bedroom flat in Central London.” After a month or two of emails, she was able to find the best Londoner with whom to exchange subleases.

After making the move, Emily went into Piccadilly Records, an independent store in Manchester. They were playing Can’t Go Back by The Papercuts, from her hometown. She was from San Francisco, but wouldn’t this band from the same city until she transported her life to another country. She was immediately captivated by the sound of the album. The LP was recorded on two-inch tape with a substantial amount of tube gear (tube mics, pre-amps, compressors, etc.) and the warmth was immediately noticeable.

The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder

Release Date: 6 February 2007 (Elephant 6 / Simian / Yep Roc)

Drenched with the same layered pop music The Apples In Stereo have made popular with the Elephant 6 label they founded, New Magnetic Wonder, includes keyboard and guitar hooks, do-do and bah-bah background vocals, and cowbells. Mixed with the updated ELO and Beach Boy sounds are some short “link tracks” and the introduction of a new musical scale.

Energy (video - directed by Elijah Wood)

The Sun Is Out PART 1 (video) | The Sun Is Out PART 2 (video) | The Sun Is Out PART 3 (video) | The Sun Is Out PART 4 (video)

The Sun Is Out is a documentary by David Gray. It follows The Apples in stereo as they record New Magnetic Wonder.

A Mathematical Puzzle

Kyle and Ian rarely disagreed. They would often play devil’s advocate for the other’s research, but that was merely to substantiate scientific theses. The cause of this dispute was a puzzle. It was a jigsaw of computer generated, algorithmic artwork, an image of a three dimensional spiral that changed colors at it wrapped itself around its own axis.

“Why do we need to finish the puzzle?” Kyle asked rhetorically. “If I know what the full picture is and can tell you exactly where each of those remaining pieces fit, why do I need to waste my time putting the pieces together?”

“I can’t believe you would ask that! It’s about the completion of the artwork.”

“But my mind has already completed it. I can see every piece. So I’d rather spend my time working on something I find more important.”

Perhaps this argument was based on something more abstract. The theoretical physicists were listening to the new Apples In Stereo CD, New Magnetic Wonder, as they put this puzzle together.