Category: Music

Dog Society Spreads Its Welcome Shade

Bruce (guitar & back-up vocals), Rich (bass & back-up vocals), Brian (lead vocals) and Joe (drums) make up Dog Society, a long-standing band from New York City. After their debut album, Test Your Own Eyes from 1993, it was a long time until the next one, with Emerge coming out in 2013. And just like buses, along comes another one in hot pursuit, with the third full-length album, In The Shade, scheduled for release on July 22nd, 2014.

They come from NYC but sound more like a West Coast band on this 12-track release. With jangly guitars and pleasing harmonies that strongly echo The Beatles and other 1960s sounds, that magical decade is never very far away.

Behind the cover art of a lonely-looking tree against a blue-rinsed, storm-promising sky, joy and melancholy reside together on In The Shade. As for their band name, it refers to the traditional dance of the Hidatsa Plains Indian tribe. You knew that, didn’t you.

Of the 12 tracks, the following stand out for me. First one up is Heal Me Friend. Short and sweet, it’s a catchy tune, as if grunge had gone back in time to the 1960s with Rickenbackers and cute fringes. Emerge and The Laughing Song (my favourite) both build layers of soothing psychedelic rock. In the Shade,the title track, takes us for a walk,starting with a Latin percussive beat, leading us to a path strewn with Stone Roses and ending with the psychedelic scent of incense wafting on an Indian breeze. Losing Her Again blasts us with Sgt Pepper-era, Beatle-like harmonising and heavy drum beat.

Showing off their rock guitar feedback, Dear Brother shows that the band can be heavier when it feels like it. The Killer You Can’t See drips languid guitar, taking us somewhere where Richard Hawley’s grandeur has been transplanted from the streets of Sheffield to distant golden sands. Our Own Parade has great harmonies and percussion, but is also a departure. Its wonderfully soaring trumpet solo doesn’t really belong, but I’m glad it’s there, and the 6-piece brass band adds a madcap free for all, elevating the track to something unique.

In The Shade is music to blow bubbles to, to walk in the park to or to seek the shade of a lonely tree and listen to it whisper between the songs.

 http://dogsociety.tv/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The King of Synth-Pop Has a New Release

Feeling stressed? Put your feet up and have a listen to Non Sequitur (released 29th May, 2014), 44 minutes and 13 seconds of one continuous piece of music.

Described as “progressive instrumental synth-pop”, it’s the work of Italian composer, Andrea Remondini. This is his debut full-length CD and is self-produced.

Taking the listener through different and sometimes recurring melodies and variations of melodies, sounds capture various moods using a variety of synth effects and tempos. It’s like a stream of consciousness but, of course, must have been very carefully constructed.

Given Non Sequitur’s retro feel, it’s not surprising that Andrea Remondini is an admirer of early Mike Oldfield and Jean-Michel Jarre, without copying them.

Non Sequitur’s cover art manages to be both playful and a bit sinister; you don’t know what to expect. Sometimes dramatic, sometimes quiet and delicate, the music ranges from a single synth piano to two or three instruments or more, with background vocals on occasion. It’s a tour through the orchestra and a fun challenge to try to pick out different instruments. I thought I heard keyboards, percussion, woodwind, xylophone, tubular bells, crashing cymbals, electric guitar and kettle drums.

Remondini is a master of atmosphere and knows how to present melodramatic, melancholic and upbeat tunes. Melody is the priority here, and it never gets overly complicated. For me, it’s gentle Sunday morning music to mentally limber up to. As for public performance, I think it would work better as a film score or as contemporary dance music rather than a concert piece.

From his early foray into electronic music when a young boy in the mid-1980s, Remondini progressed to enjoy a long successful career as a musician, songwriter and sound engineer. Working in the world of dance music, he has collaborated with DJs from Italy and elsewhere in Europe, gaining chart entries in various European countries. However, he wanted to produce his own sounds outside of dance music, so he established his own recording studio and Non Sequitur was born.

Other musical projects and collaborations in Remondini’s back catalogue include Greece 2000 by 3 Drives on a Vinyl, I Feel Love by CRW, Komodo by DJ Picotto and Home Again by Jimmy Somerville.

If you like an ever-changing soundscape that you can mostly chill to, with some drama here and there, you will enjoy Non Sequitur.

https://andrearemondini.bandcamp.com/track/non-sequitur-extract

 

 

Joel Has Gotta Lot of Soul

For late night music when you’re feeling mellow and the moon is up, Joel Havea is the fella you need. His five-track EP, titled Strings & Wood (released 24th May, 2014), is an acoustic set which perfectly demonstrates the singer-songwriter’s expressive vocal delivery, soulful voice and guitarist skills. Joel is an Australian, hailing from Melbourne, but lives in Hamburg, Germany. From his family background and his travelling, he has absorbed many cultures over the years.  After playing with his younger brother in the aptly named duo, The Havea Brothers, it was time for a solo career to blossom. His debut album, You Make Me Believe from 2012 was well received, and he has embarked on extensive touring throughout several countries.

Strings & Wood is designed to capture the style of Joel’s live acoustic shows. Acoustic soul is a refreshing take in the never-ending swirl of genres, and Joel’s long experience as a performer bears fruit on this casino online smooth and tight production. Contributions from other musicians on the EP put a cherry on top, whilst still allowing Joel to shine.

Going Gone is the first track, a radio-friendly song on acoustic guitar, perfect for the car system. Despite the very catchy upbeat tune, the song is about him getting away from a toxic relationship and getting on with his life. Simple Things has a slower tempo, with acoustic guitar and melancholic cello.  Going Through The Motions has a funky, R&B feel with guitar and fat keyboards. My Wings is a slow tempo song with beautifully melancholic cello again, but hopeful lyrics, plus acoustic guitar and swelling keyboards. Fading Away is another funky acoustic track, with some nice punchy double bass.

The plan is for Joel to promote the new EP on the road, including dates in America in the autumn of 2014. As well as possessing a quality voice and being an accomplished guitarist, Joel is a good-looking guy with lots of stage presence – his fan base is sure to keep on growing.

https://soundcloud.com/joelhavea/sets/strings-and-wood-ep

 

 

 

 

 

Juliette Jules and the Call of the Black Crow

What were you doing when you were a young teenager? I was skulking in my bedroom writing angry poetry. Singer/songwriter Juliette Jules, however, has been crafting beautiful songs, and this debut EP titled Black Crow (released 23rd May, 2014) is the result. It consists of five tracks, four of which are co-written by Juliette along with Peter Karroll, who also acted as producer.  The fifth is a cover of the famous Hallelujah. Juliette plays guitar, piano and synths, with contributions from two guest musicians. This music is variously described as ‘acoustic’ or ‘folk underground’.

Juliette gave this EP away to lucky listeners as a gift on her 16th birthday. Most 16-year-olds throw a party and pass out after sneaking alcohol into the punch so that gesture was pretty classy. But then this young Parisian shows her class in many ways.

Her inspiration comes from diverse sources, both from the musical and the literary world. You can tell she has absorbed the poetry and drama of all she has read and heard, including punk music, the songs of Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith and the writing of Voltaire, Hemingway and Kafka. Lyrics tend to look toward the sadder portions of the soul. But the mature-sounding voice and ability to phrase so expressively lifts the listener’s mood rather than the opposite. Juliette doesn’t just sing – she delivers a performance.

Johnny Was is the first offering. Its gentle melody and sad, imaginative story about the emotionally disturbed, titular Johnny is the highlight of the EP for me. Juliette delivers a beautifully soulful vocal on the title track, Black Crow, with plaintive piano and strings and poetic, sad lyrics. The Game is a more straightforward and familiar tale of losing a boy to a rival. This song’s promotional video shows various familiar Paris landmarks. To The casino online Mountains ends the EP, finishing on a note of optimism, albeit with doubts.

As for performing Hallelujah, written by Leonard Cohen and covered by such luminaries as Tim Buckley, it is almost mandatory for a young singer-songwriter to cover it. In fact, there is such a long history of covers behind this song that it’s become a sort of rite of passage. Perhaps self-conscious about all the other versions, Juliette has tried to make it very different and to put her stamp on it. Just for my personal taste, I find the style too quirky and prefer a straight arrow rendition such as Buckley’s.

Juliette’s discovery as an artist is the stuff of dreams! She was performing in a park in Paris when manager and producer, Peter Karroll happened to be there. He was duly impressed and thus began their creative collaboration. Hollywood couldn’t make it up! Karroll’s production is spot on, enhancing but not getting in the way. It will be interesting to see how this precocious talent develops. Meanwhile, Black Crow is good company.

https://soundcloud.com/juliettejules/sets/black-crow-ep 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Have Sailed With Grown-up Pop

Ships Have Sailed, with Will Carpenter at the helm, is a name which promises songs of maturity and self-awareness, and this Los Angeles-based outfit delivers. Named Someday, their debut EP (nationally released 15th July, 2014) contains six tracks that carry me along willingly on a wave of indie pop. The song’s influences come from more than one wellspring, and there is a pleasing variety here.  Will Carpenter started playing instruments when still very young, listening to musical greats from the 1960s and ’70s before discovering angst-ridden grunge in the ’90s. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays the violin, bass guitar, and electric guitar. He is also a member of rock/hip hop band, 7Lions. Will wanted another musical project for a set of songs which are different to the 7Lions output. The result is Ships Have Sailed.

All the songs here are either written by or co-written by Will Carpenter. First track on the EP (and the debut single) is titled Midnight. It’s catchy, radio-friendly pop with soft vocals. Building to a rousing chorus, it’s the obvious choice for the single. The You Tube video for Midnight tells the tale of love and jealousy amongst circus folk. Clouds is a simple arrangement with sparse acoustic guitar and voice and is more in singer/songwriter territory. Lovely parental sentiments are expressed – clouds on water, sons and daughters, don’t you falter. Bring You Down returns to more familiar pop material, but still in thoughtful mode, with a slightly Coldplay feel. With a driving beat and rock guitar, Better Off is a heavier song – conceivably, heads could even be banged to this one. But we’re in the land of mellow California sunshine on Just To Get Through, with some nice harmonies. Someday is the final song and title track, with inventive percussive patterns, another rousing chorus and introspective lyrics – I feel like I’m living someone else’s life.

Good instrumentation, harmonies and arrangements pull the best from these songs. Ships Have Sailed are obviously not attempting to be trendy, and that always helps artists to have a longer career. The quality of the songs is the priority here – no tricks – just good craftsmanship and honesty. Their versatility also stands them in good stead, as they can go down different musical paths and grow.

Will Carpenter’s plan is to record a full-length album in 2014 involving collaborations with more producers and songwriters.  https://soundcloud.com/shipshavesailed

 

 

Slagg II and Freefalling Ninjas

Ed Purchla, aka 1700 monkey ninjas, is a man of many talents. As well as producing experimental electronic music under his monkey ninja persona, he is a digital artist and has also recorded some singer/songwriter material. You can get the full, immersive Ed Purchla experience by exploring his sounds and artwork plus delving into his range of merchandise, which includes t-shirts, bags, car stickers and jewellery.

Ed’s digital art, which is also used for the images in his 1700 monkey ninjas promotional videos, is a collection of abstract explosions of vivid colour, some of it chaotic – some of it beautifully symmetrical.

Electronic music is not just for dancing to these days. In fact, it never was, and there is a long and distinguished history of experimentation in this field.

I am intrigued by the more cerebral end of the spectrum. Rather than vainly struggling to work out how this track – Slagg II – has been achieved technically, I will try to describe my emotional response to it.

It starts off with quite a famous quote about art – well, that’s what art is innit, it’s you being free of all the world’s heaviness. Fans of the UK’s maestro of comic quotes, Karl Pilkington, and Ed is one of those fans, may recognise this as one of his most quirky observations. Bleeps, beats, distortion, keyboards, and percussive effects follow, as if a vast bank of electronic gizmos has exploded and an ocean floor dweller is sucking up the remains and spitting it out again. Snatches of EDM melody anchor the anarchy of staccato, jerky spasms, leading you down many corridors in a labyrinth without exit signs. This is the kind of track that compels you to put it on repeat until you’ve heard every twitch and tick – pulled out every thread.

Of course, it may not be your cup of tea.  Being free of all the world’s heaviness is subjective, after all. If your world is defined by a dance floor alone, you may not want your neural pathways zapped in this way. But if you do – you can bounce around for 3:31.

So, what other pieces of electronic wizardry has 1700 monkey ninjas produced? You Tube provides us with lots of examples of his output. Most of these tracks are so dense, with so much going on, you need 20 pairs of ears to hear everything. Some have spoken word samples, such as UStaytheF***outtaSYRIA, which has a U.S. military involvement in Syria theme and is one I particularly like. Ones with a lot of distortion may be a noise assault too far for some. One man’s poison and so on.

This is not background music that you’ll want to play all day. Some of it pins you to the wall, like a blast from white hot sound waves. Slagg II, in particular, introduces another element here – a sense of humour. It’s a lot of fun and makes me smile.

Tracks from 1700 monkey ninjas feel very free. There are no rules. It’s music without a safety net. Freefalling makes you free of all the world’s heaviness, but it’s not for the timid…

http://www.reverbnation.com/1700monkeyninjas