Double Shot: Lana Del Rey - "Born To Die" (2012) & "Paradise"(2013)

Lana Del Rey

Born To Die / Paradise

Polydor / Interscope

Lusciously meticulous, Lana Del Rey's Born To Die is a hypnotic masterpiece. Ripe with silky vocals and a boldly symphonic instrumentation that seductively caresses the songs' raw subject matter like a high-class escort in a dive bar bathroom. Populated with songs that saunter with back ally magic and sexual energy that borders on crass. Del Rey has given a musical voice to the muses of Bukowski poems and David Lynch films. It's been years since an album has made me ache this bad.

Peppered with stylistic elements that range from vocal jazz to the slightest smatterings of hip hop rhythm this album is able to keep your attention with a sweet auditor diversity. Revealing a richly talented artist who has a wide range of weapons in her arsenal. Through darkly seductive tracks like "Blue Jeans" and "Born to Die" her hauntingly smoky sirens call is arresting.

Unfortunately the follow up album, Paradise, pales in comparison to it's predecessor. Still retaining some of the crowning elements of Born To Die including the haunting vocal lament found in the opening track "Ride".This CD is certainly a lesser product.  Lacking the ground breaking awe factor of her first album. With songs that seem like the BTD studio session leftovers that had potential yet didn’t quite make the final cut. Ultimately rushing  these tracks to market might have robbed them of their greatness.

Also missing from this album is the subtle raw sexual sophistication of its predecessor. Exchanging it for a cheaper crassness that’s only worth seemed to be shock, epitomized in the opening line of “Coke.”

Comparably Born To Die is clearly a more sound collection of material, but I would be remissed if I didn't point out that both albums are clearly the work of an amazing artist and are both worth a listen.
 

Tuesday Double Feature: Ed Sheeran "Give Me Love" & The Back Keys "Tighten Up"

"I have, he went on, betrayed myself with belief, deluded myself with love tricked myself with sex." - Charles Bukowski - 5 dollars.

You have to wonder if Chuck was right, have we all got it messed up in our heads what love is really about. Maybe after years of listening to heartbreak on the radio and our stereos we don't know anymore. Either way this week's Tuesday Double Feature is all about the wonderful and maddening mess that love can be.

Ed Sheeran - "Give Me Love"


Personally I have to admit that, Uk based singer songwriter Ed Sheeran, has a few strikes against him. Having worked with Taylor Swift and written songs for One Direction, normally I wouldn't give him a second glance. Thankfully, I can look past most things if the music is good and there is no denying the true mastery of this young man's craft. June will see him playing a few select dates in US and Canada supporting Taylor Swift so unfortunately if you don't have tickets your out of luck but I'm hoping that sometime soon we'll catch hime playing some smaller venues on his own.

The Black Keys - "Tighten Up"



I know The Black Keys are now all over the radio but some of us have loved the band since their first release in 2002. If anything their success, gives me hope that so many other great independent bands will find their place among the mainstream. If those bands are smart, they should take notes from The Black Keys, and work hard and stay hungry because for all their fame and fortune you don't want to become out of touch like U2.

Cure for the Mondays: The Sheepdogs - "Feeling Good"

The Sheepdogs - "Feeling Good"

Ninjas, action figures and great music, what more can you ask for?


The crunchy guitar blues-rock of Canada's The Sheepdogs has the lost lovely sound of  60's and 70's groups like The Band. Having earned many honors and awards including 3 Juno Awards in 2012 (Canada's equivalent to the Grammy) and the rare opportunity of being the only unsigned band ever to grace the cover of Rollingstone Magazine these boys are on the fast-track to stardom. Having singed to Atlantic Records  the band released their self-titled album in September of last year. In doing so the band continues their momentous climb to greatness.  

About Last Night: Thundering Asteroids @ Katie O'Brein's 05/24

Last Night’s show at Katie O’Brien’s is a bit of a blur as I roll into work at 5:45 this morning. I’m pretty sure there was a wookiee there, maybe even a slave girl. But to be honest, in my current state of sleep deprivation the only thing I am certain of, is that the music was phenomenal.

Opening the night was the speed and aggression of the Vacillators. A little like angry sex this band’s set was fast, raw and mind blowing fun. Boldly gritty Camille leads this band with a street wise playfulness that’s both refreshing and seductive. Punching through their set with unrelenting focus her band mate were unstoppable work horses. Kids, this is what punk looks like beyond adolescent angst and man is it beautiful. Tempered and honed, the power of this band was undeniable. To all you youngsters out there, you can only hope that your band will grow up to be this good.

Playing next was the always awesome Pitchfork Motorway and if the Vacillators’ set was like going 65 in a 35 then watching these boys was like one of those car chases you see on CNN. As always the boys attacked their songs with a wild abandon without regards to the innocent bystanders in the audience and as one of them I can’t tell you how great that is. Dangerously fun you feel like the worlds going to hop the track at any second and at these speeds who knows what crazy damage might be done. This band knows how to play a boldly tight rock n roll that’s amazing to behold. The two guitar attack of Barry and Shiggy is bold and diverse while the rhythm section of Doug and The Swede impishly play like madmen with explosives. Hands down this band plays faster, harder and with a true grasp of punk rocks emotional fury.

Finally, the Thundering Asteroids! took the mic and went to town. What they lacked in speed they make up in fun. Always to bell of the ball this band played their nerdcore tunes with a playful joy that is highly intoxicating to an audience. Celebrating the addition of their latest drummer (a resource they seem to burn through faster than quarter in an arcade) this band had an amazing set. Playing all the favorites and a few new tracks, the band got us singing along and pumping our fists to all the nostalgia inducing pop references in punk form. Clearly one of my own personal favorite bands currently playing Portland, I was not disappointed. Wild, fun and able to make you feel that all that useless pop knowledge crammed in your head isn’t worthless; I hope this drummer sticks around a while so we can get a few more great shows out of this band this summer.

I’m telling you if your not currently supporting local music, you don’t know what you’re missing because they are the most loyal and appreciative group of people you’ll ever meet. So for those of you that didn’t make it to this show, remember there’s bands playing somewhere in town every night of the week. You just have to pick a show and go.

From the Shelf: Birds of Chicago: Birds of Chicago (2013)

Birds of Chicago
Birds of Chicago
Self Released

The soulful urban-folk of Birds of Chicago's self-titled debut album is as energetic and vibrant as spring.  Lively and danceable, the music of J.T. Nero and Allison Russel is honest and optimistic in a heartfelt manner. Mixing a richly natural feel with a street wise sensibility this album is filled with highly approachable songs.
Built from Nero's urban white-man's blues and finished with Russel's soulful crooning these songs will wash over you like a warm spring breeze. Its sound musical landscapes weaved from organically paired instrumentation giving this duo a comforting aura that's a joy to listen to.  From the playful "Trampoline" to the reflective wail of "The Wide Sea" this record is filled with one wonderful song after another. A personal favorite is the soulful folk of "The Moonglow / Tapeworm" with its laid back tempo and lyrical play. Even the French of "San Souci" seems at perfect harmony amongst the rest of the songs on the album.
Like a sweet dream, this record has been forming in the ether for sometime now, as the occasional collaborations between these two artists developed into something more permanent. With fruit like this we can only hope that this musical marriage has a long and bountiful future ahead of it.     

Living Room Performance: Sirsy - "Revolution"

Sirsy - "Revolution"

Revolution Hall

Troy, NY

2009


The guitar and drum duo of Sirsy have been rocking their powerful but minimalistic rock n roll for over a decade. Based out of Albany New York this band has extensively toured clubs and venues throughout the Midwest and East Coast and also held opening slots for numerous big name acts.  Awash with their signature two part rock, their latest album Coming Into Frame is finding acclaim and praise. This spring you can catch them touring the West Coast with dates in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas.  Unfortunately, we won't be seeing them this far north but there's always hope for their next time around.

From the Shelf: Bleached - Ride Your Heart (2013)

Bleached
Ride Your Heart
Dead Oceans

The sun baked surf garage of Bleached’s album Ride Your Heart is filled with ruckus summer fun songs. The dream like vocals of Jennifer Calvin floats through these grunge lovely garage tunes like the refreshing breezes through car windows on a night drive. Paired with crunchy phase jangled guitars and tightly precise bare bones percussion these tunes are lighthearted masterpieces.
Energetically fun and danceably pervasive the album effortlessly combines the endless summer carefree nature of California surf with the DYI attitude of an East Coast garage band. Like early Go Go’s, this album might not start an intellectual or emotional revolution but sometimes you need an album that’s just fun, and this one has it in spades. Noteworthy tracks include the driving guitar energy of “Waiting By The Telephone” and "Searching Through The Past”.
Made for house parties or road trips to the coast Ride Your Heart is the perfect soundtrack for the summer of 2013.