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Written by Bear

Mt St Helens Vietnam Band – Hurrah - MP3

A year or so I thought these guys were all kids. Their parents came out to their first show and it looked like the crowd was made up of pimples. I’ve since found out that there is only one band member that is younger than my little sister, the rest are a bit older. Not that that has anything to do with their music, there was just so much hype, and while their live show was good – especially for a first performance, I didn’t see the coolness about it all. I also met the drummer one Seattle afternoon a few months ago, that’s when I was still living there and he had come acallin’ for an apt – I used to manage 3 apartment buildings on Capitol Hill. Anyways, he was a great kid and we found out who each other were. So if you read this…. hello. But for all the hype I thought their music just sounded like everyone elses, and while I still think this is true, it’s better than most of their counterparts. The arrangements are stellar, the vocals are gravely and fill up your head. I recommend it to all you cool kids so you can keep being cool.

This link doesn’t work to buy the album so search google cause I don’t want to.

Dan Sartain–Dan Sartain Lives

Label: One Little Indian

Score: 8.9/10

Author: Sean David

In a quite entertaining interview with IRR’s own Thirst n’ Howl, Dan Sartain recently expressed his misgivings about touring with Social Distortion. What, with their “old-fashioned hairdos with purple stripes and Frankenstein shoes,” it may be dangerous to associate himself so closely with that rockabilly scene. In reality, Dan Sartain’s name looked better on set-lists next to the likes of The White Stripes. And it was on this 2007 tour that he learned what the rest of the world (after It Might Get Loud) now knows —Jack White may write good songs and have “good taste in musical equipment,” Sartain says, but “that dude’s a dick.” And therein lies part of the allure of Dan Sartain. In conversation he sounds like a normal guy (a “dude” if you will) who lives in his parents basement in Alabama: he’s annoyed by assholes, yearns for fame and fortune, listens to the Ramones because they’re “safe,” and seems only a little concerned about what the repercussions of calling Jack White an asshole might be. Hell, after the interview, he might even go get one of those new Chic-Fil-A sandwiches everyone is talking about.

And the only thing more entertaining than a Dan Sartain interview is Dan Sartain’s music. His unique brand of blues-tinged country-punk recalls Flat Duo Jets. Through two impressive LPs (released via San Diego’s Swami) and countless rip-roaring live-set, Sartain has become somewhat of a cult figure amongst his fans. A blue-collared singer-songwriter with just about the truest voice you‘ve ever heard. As Black Heat Processions Pall Jenkins once said, “That boy can write a song.” And anyone else who has seen his live set will know he is no slouch on the guitar either—often losing his rhythm section with his pace. On his latest album, Dan Sartain Lives, he continues on his rich run of form, picking up right where 2006’s Join Dan Sartain left off.

At one moment a country boy with an old guitar crooning away on songs like “Ruby Carol” or “Praying For a Miracle”, the next a larger-than-life ball of energy churning out foot-stomping anthems like “Voo-Doo” or “Anything I Say.” The improved production on Lives affords Sartain the ability to—more effectively than ever—showcase his range, not only as a singer-songwriter but also as an out-and-out frontman. And what makes Lives one of the best releases of 2010 is that Sartain is still essentially making the music he wants—the music that sounds like the music he likes. His lyrics are never more complicated than they need to be: “Bad things will happen if you act like a fool.” And with every track under 3 minutes, the songs are never longer than they need be either. Yet with all his brevity, Sartain is a study in efficiency when it comes to getting his messages across in a two-minute song: see “Walk Among The Cobras IV.” Lives’ thirteen tracks drip with the same pessimism, paranoia, regret, and disenchantment of his earlier releases. Sartain’s misanthropy (ie “I Don’t Wanna Go To The Party”) plays a central role in his music than ever. But his denunciations and manifestos are delivered with a wry smile and wink so as to never seem preachy or pretentious. Even the most God-fearing man would find it hard to resist bouncing along to the bass-line on “Atheist Funeral.” Whether or not you agree with his commentary, you’ll burn in hell (or somewhere roundabout) if you don’t join Dan Sartain and buy Lives today.

Loose Lips Sink Ships/Victor Villarreal
“Eating Happens” 7-inch
Score: 7.1/10

Loose Lips Sink Ships and Victor Villarreal don’t seem to share much in common. At least on the surface. But on a deeper level, the two were made for each other. One is a math rock quartet comprised of 20-somethings from DeKalb, Illinois, still establishing its name on the Midwestern music scene. The other is a pivotal piece of two of Chicago’s most influential punk bands still establishing a name for himself as a solo artist.

The two sides originally came together July of last year during a show in DeKalb, which Loose Lips headlined and Villarreal opened. It was Villarreal’s first show in some seven years, and his first as a solo musician. From there, a partnership, and more importantly, a friendship, was formed. Together, the two separate, yet similar entities, have produced “Eating Happens,” a new split 7-inch released on Whaleplane Records, and soon to be distributed by bigger labels Jade Tree, Polyvinyl and Robotic Empire.

The first song, “Sarah Palin’s Parasailing,” belongs to Loose Lips, and it’s about what you’d expect from the guys – heavy-hitting guitars, intricate timing patterns, spacey breakdowns midway through the track. New ground isn’t exactly broken with the song, but there is no need for that. Not yet. The lot of Loose Lips’ output has been good, even great, and with room to grow and a sound that works – especially in a concert setting – these may be the guys to watch in the coming years.

Villarreal’s contribution, the tongue-twistingly titled “Prophesying Hypothesis,” builds off the 10 songs he compiled for his first record with positive results. Much of the “Alive” LP showed promise, combining intricate guitar melodies and, for the first time in his career, vocals, but the sketchy lyrics bogged it down. That is to be expected with someone who is more used to writing riffs than stanzas, however. Regardless, the lyrics on the new track don’t slack and show improvement from his last effort. “Out of beneath unsorted view/Was pictures to a song without the value/Draw away the drapes and show us why/You can’t have one without the other.”

“Eating Happens” is a solid, if brief, showcase of the potential put forth by these two artists – one still getting its proverbial feet wet in the music biz, the other still finding his way back to it. Though just a taste of what’s to come from both, this 7-inch is more than enough to keep the appetite for more thoroughly whetted. -Derek Walker

Purchase “Eating Happens” HERE.
Visit Loose Lips Sink Ships HERE.
Visit Victor Villarreal HERE.

Written by Shelley Carling

Kylee Johnson’s debut EP makes me feel melancholy for that moment when summer love has finally come to an end but there’s always that sweet possibility that it’s really just the beginning, and I have a feeling that for Johnson, it has only just begun.

Having made a splash in the indie-pop scene, Johnson has emerged as a singer/songwriter to be taken seriously.  At first listen her voice has a simplicity that is the result of a controlled instrument that truly sets Johnson apart from the rest.   While her soft, creamy voice, carries a gentle, honest undertone, she manages to swiftly and effortlessly show a vulnerability that is a pleasure listen to as she jumps around her register.

The album as a whole sounds polished, assured and optimistic.  Wrapped in a variety of keys and a mixture of strings, the lyrics feel altogether so applicable and widely personal.  All four tracks offer a sweet, heartfelt youthfulness with the wisdom of someone that has experienced love and love lost.  Her colorful upbeat pop tunes continue to surprise me as we journey from song to song.

The EP kicks off with “Mindreader,” a song that easily sets the pace and tone for the rest with it’s radio ready chorus. Next is “Another Rainy Day in Sunny California,” a song with hopeful and heartbroken lyrics and a refreshingly eclectic mix of keys.  “Not That Kind Of Song,” is a ballad filled with soul that easily soars as Johnson’s voice deepens and gains strength.  And lastly is “Everybody Felt This Way,” another perfectly wrapped radio package.

Kylee Johnson has proved herself to be a skillful pop artisan.  She has the heart and talent to make beautiful, epic art about those situations in love that we have all experienced.  Just like that summer love, Johnson has come in full force, skipped the introductions and has left me wanting so much more.

Review by Thirst’n Howl III

Smoke Fairies conjure up an image instantly upon placing the name on your tongue or having it enter your cochlea.  The exact direction of ones imagination is heavily influenced by the classic categorization of grade school eras.  Do you imagine a formidable foe that takes 9 kill points due to each roll of the die as your dungeon master guides you through the willow weeds of saranjarah?  Or are you thinking puff puff pass and the little people you may see in said scenario that tell you jokes or cause you to hide in your bathtub for a few hours?  Would a band such as smoke fairies have a sound akin to these scenarios?  Fortunately, no.

On both counts you are incredibly far from the mark.  Smoke Fairies are two incredibly talented ladies from Sussex.  Your preconceived notions of british people are wrong here as well.  They are statuesque in their striking beauty, and their voices are ethereal and smoky.  Seeing them live is completely enthralling.  They have an old time blues and backwoods sound, with a hint of the haunted.  Their ability to intertwine voices between each other and the slow twang is hypnotic.  Smoke Fairies have been championed as of late for their brand of English Folk, and it is well merited.  Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies have been making music for years together, well at least ten since they met in grade school and are in their twenties. This is notable in the calm that rests between them.  What is not so easily understood is the anitquity heard in their music.  It’s sound feels as ancient as the forming of the United States themselves.  And the early Americana roots are heavily noted.  Yet they’re London lilt is hard to miss.

Download – Smoke Fairies “Frozen Heart”

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Written by Bear

Cover bands make my mouth taste of bile. Straight up nasty. The only credit I give bands for covering a song is when they not only make it their own, but also make it just as good, or even better than the original song, and perhaps when they are an all girl ACDC covers band called Hells Bells. In no way am I saying Nada Surf is a cover band, but they’ve become one with their new covers album If I Had A Hi-Fi, at least for now here is a covers album worth your time. The songs are all so good and catchy that I’ve listened to it over and over – that’s one of the bonuses of being part of  a music site, when you get a great album you get to spend a lot of time with it. Not every song is as good as the original but the one’s that are not, come real close. They even put some sunshine and energy into Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence”, a song up until Nada Surf’s reworking has managed to depress me every time I heard it. But that’s just what Nada Surf does, they make guilt free uplifting indie rock. How many bands accomplish this without being totally lame?

I like lyrics sung in languages other than English, who listens to lyrics anyway? Two linguist gems for Nada Surf are the cover of Coral Clemente’s “Bye Bye Beaute”, I love how it defines what whimsical pop might be if there were such a thing, while Mecromina’s “Evolucion” brings the tempo down a notch, while upping the beauty with strings. And in case you are wondering, my favorite song on the album is Kate Bush’s “Love and Anger”. Sweet tears.

Enough jibberish, if you want great, guilt-free, indie rock then here it is.

Visit Nada Surf

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Written by Sean David
4.9/10

Despite his unforgivably cockish behavior in It Might Get Loud, I still find myself rooting for Jack White. I always will. But if he showed us anything in the documentary it is that he only needs one person to stroke his ego: Jack White. White seems to have lost his patience with The White Stripes and the confines of the two-man rock n’ roll band. We saw him trying to scratch that itch especially hard on Icky Thump and Get Behind Me Satan, even inventing new instruments (or at least making it possible to play two or three instruments at once) for their live shows. The days of Jack White playing a guitar while Meg White labored away at the drums next to him seem to be over as he releases the second LP from his second side project. It has only been three years since the last White Stripes release but it seems so much longer as we struggle to sift through The Raconteur and Dead Weather for a temporary fix.

Everything we have heard from Raconteurs has been dismal (“Salute Your Salution”), embarrassing (“Rich Kid Blues”), silly (“Many Shades Of Black”), and rarely decent (“Carolina Drama”). But the tedium that is The Raconteurs can be overlooked by apologists who, rightly, point out that their really bad songs are Brendan Benson’s fault. Anyone hoping to use this same argument to excuse The Dead Weather would have a tougher task. Sure, The Kills’ Alison Mosshart “shares” vocal duties with White, but it is no mystery as to who is pulling The Dead Weather’s strings.

Even as White assumes more responsibility on Sea Of Cowards, the darker direction still wreaks more of his celebrity than authenticity. The fact that White has assumed more vocal responsibility than on their debut makes no difference at all. White and Mosshart seem to be trying their hardest to imitate each other, to a mostly irritating effect. Their voices don’t exactly compliment each other, or the music. Where they could sound like compatriots Black Mountain or Archie Bronson Outfit, The Dead Weather’s apparent affinity for turn-of-the-century rap-rock leaves them sounding closer to Korn or Limp Bizkit. When White sings (or raps) “Yeah the white girls trip when I sing in Sunday service” on album opener, “Blue Blood Blues,” you haven’t even heard the worst of Coward’s songwriting. The following ten tracks are replete with laughable lines, made all the more regrettable by the manner in which they are delivered. When White sings “I only got one face, dadadaduh/I tried too long to erase, dadadaduh” you get the impression that the only person more confused about The Dead Weather’s direction is Jack White himself. And the most unfortunate part of Whites’ heavy-handed approach too his faux-badass-drug-rock is all the posing and posturing. Indeed, the Dead Weather are doomed to be a band that looks better than they will ever sound.

If The Dead Weather have proved anything, it is that Jack White sounds best with Meg White—as if we needed any further proof than White Blood Cells. And whether he likes it or not, White is going to have to accept the fact that any music he releases will forever be compared to his first band. And he certainly won’t be too pleased when he comes to the realization that it will probably never be as good.

Written by Shelley Carling

Sometimes I long for the good ol’ times.  You know, before I was born when wearing Keds, drinking out of glass Coke bottles and Ray Bans weren’t trendy but naturally cool for their originality; a time when words like ‘daddy-o’ and ‘sock hop’ were common terms.  Unfortunately, I’ll never truly experience the vintage era when it wasn’t vintage.   The closest connection to a past that I’ve never lived happened while listening to The Silver Seas third album Chateau Revenge, and they are anything but lackluster.

The Silver Seas (formerly known as The Bees) recent album Château Revenge boasts good beats and soothing harmonies.   The album’s poppy influence mixed with lead vocalist Daniel Tashian’s simple, velvety voice leave me feeling nostalgic for a breezy summer day when I may have ridden my banana seat bike to the corner store for the goodness of penny candies.

Chateau Revenge has twelve tracks that effortlessly work together.  Each song explores an idea that is freshly and seamlessly executed.  The album kicks off with “Another Bad Night’s Sleep,” a catchy tune that radiates with relatable lyrics and smoothly transitions into the next song.  Before you know it, the entire album has rolled through and you’ve taken a brief trip back in time.   Among my favorite tracks include “Candy,” a pop rock tune with almost Beach Boy like blends in a contemporary way, and “Kids,” a mellow ballad as gently rhythmic as the music of an old ice cream truck that has unexpected strings attached.

The release of this album comes in a timely manner with summer’s steady approach.  If you’re looking for perfect beach tunes that will help you rock out as you bask in the sea breeze then I suggest The Silver Seas, Chateau Revenge, they are far from Dullsville.

Visit The Silver Seas

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Written by Bear
8.5/10

I used to live next to a Krishna temple in Utah. It was way cool, and could possibly still be way cool to visit the Krishna festival every year – most people only go to gawk at the Krishna’s and their worlds-apart religion. I only went once to the festival, with a group of my lame high school skater friends that thought the world owed them something. Maybe they were so delusional because they listened to 108 and Shelter, and wore Kirshna beads while scoring the odd low self-esteem chick because of it? Where’s the respect now bitches? I wonder if any of those assholes even have a 108 album anymore?

108 – 18.61
(MP3 Download – right click)

As for 108, yeah they are Hare Krishna – and don’t say it “Harry Krishna” like my dad does. The band released a new album and right after fact front-man Robert Fish up and quits? What? After all these years and such a great new album?

As for the music.
Finally I’ve gotten the chance to listen to 18.61, straight from the kings of Krishna-core (no silly ex-hardcore lover, Ray Cappo and Shelter doesn’t even come close.) Over the years 108 has made some of the most intellectually pissed off music in the hardcore/punk genre. After the band reformed in 2007 with A New Beat from a Dead Heart fans began to flock once again to their music – maybe even spawning an entire new generation of Krishna bead wearing ass-whipes. Oh, there are still plenty of haters of 108, I think it has something to do with their off-kilter time signatures and discordant notes. But if you just let the art that they play into your tiny little hearts you will most assuredly be converted.

The album was recorded by Alex Garcia River and mixed by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, and that means you should just buy the album for the recording alone, if not for the songs. You never know what you are going to get with 108, from one instant to the next guitars wail like a dying hyena, and then growl like the mighty grizzly in Sir Anthony Hopkins thriller The Edge. Vocalist Robert Fish delivers his familiar manic screams like a man possessed and it sounds so good this time around. Nothing about this album is “filler”, and every bit of it is a salve for my angsty heart.

Listen to their 18.61 audioplayer

Buy the album over at 108′s label Deathwish

“18.61″ comes from the 61st couplet of the 18th section of Bhagavad Gita.
Ishvarah sarva-bhutaanaam, hridesh-’rjuna-tishthati
bhraamayan sarva-bhutaani, yantra-rudhaani maayayaa

Which means:
“The controller of all
Lies at the heart of the machine
And connects it’s wires
To the living being who is under it’s spell.”

“Direct Expression. Bypass mind. Bypass intellect. Self to Sound. Against the dead trend. The robot me. The modern social entity stripped of color and vibrancy. Not philosophy. Not religion. True self expressed in sound.”

Visit 108