Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2008: Part 6

Pela
A spectacular live show at the Music Hall in February and the continued strength of "Waiting on the Stairs" really brought home the notion that Pela is one of the seriously good bands out there.

Jack Peñate
"Second, Minute, or Hour" and "Spit at Stars" were just two of the reasons that Jack Peñate was one of the good surprises of 2008 but they were all he needed. Insatiably catchy, Mr. Peñate's music should be a hit not just in his native England but here in the States as well. He ought to be bigger.

Ra Ra Riot
Without question one of the best albums of the year, The Rhumb Line showcased that the only thing more dramatic than Ra Ra Riot's story is their music. Picking up where Arcade Fire left off, these Syracuse cohorts may be even better than that generally considered Indie Pop Band of the Decade. So far, they've established a perfect record, nailing each and every one of their songs with the right texture, density, and pacing. Being one of the few genuine highlights of the Siren Festival this year certainly helped make their case.

Ray LaMontagne
"Meg White" was more creepy than good, but the soul-drenched "You Are The Best Thing" was one of the great stand-outs of the year.

R.E.M.
"Supernatural Super Serious" was evidence that R.E.M. was coming back in a solid way and their show at Madison Square Garden proved it. One of the all time great live bands and one of the few who can tame big, bad, hollow, MSG.

Raphael Saadiq
His 2008 record, The Way I See It, is a wonderful romp through vintage 60's soul and R&B. "Love That Girl" is not just the standout, it's the best Soul song of the year and frankly, of the decade. Vintage and retro sounds may be growing tired to some, but no one can deny the power, spirit, and execution exerted by Saadiq.

She & Him
Few had a year quite like Zooey Deschanel, and by extension Matt Ward. Actually, it's a safe bet that no one else did. Their meeting on the set of The Go-Getter led to the birth of She & Him and the exceptional Volume One LP. Crass cynicism dictated Zooey would be weak and Matt would suffer for it. It turned out that Zooey has a tasteful devotion to quality American music, and a knack for how to write it and sing it herself, aided by the surefire hand of Mr. Ward. They put on a couple of more-than-decent live shows to boot, at Webster Hall and Terminal 5 respectively.
If that wasn't enough, The Go-Getter is still the best movie I've seen all year, fueled in part by filmmaker Martin Hymes' excellent soundtrack (that included artists like the Black Keys in addition to Ward), to say nothing of Zooey's sharp performance (arguably her best work). Hell, she even made Jim Carrey's weak-looking Yes Man movie appear halfway decent with the jokey 80's pop novelties that were released in advance of the film. Now if only she hadn't also starred in the Worst Movie Ever Made that also happened to come out this year (The Happening) and her 2008 would have been perfect.
Late breaking gossip news: Apparently, Zooey is now to be hitched to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie who this year put out their first batch of music that did not put me instantly to sleep. It does seem now that with the exception of M. Night Shyamalan, Zooey indeed has the Midas touch.

Sons & Daughters
The great Scots came to NYC with some excellent shows in support of This Gift, and while "Rebel With the Ghost" was enough to keep people interested, it was "Gilt Complex" that cemented Sons & Daughters in our minds.

Submarines
"You & Me & The Bourgeois" from Honeysuckle Weeks was a track to remember and their live show at the Merc was one of the sweeter nights of a roller coaster year. Seriously, what a single though.

SP Philly Easter Sunday Roundup - Frightened Rabbit,. Bodies of Water, Sons and Daughters

Frightened Rabbit, Bodies of Water, Sons and Daughters
@ Johnny Brenda's
Philadelphia, PA - March 23, 2008

Last Sunday was Easter, and like a good lapsed Catholic I skipped Church, oversaw an egg hunt, had dinner with the family, and then beelined it to Fishtown for a rock show that could have raised the dead.

I had a great night at Johnny Brenda’s; the bands went 3 and 0 on a pretty diverse bill, and I even discovered a new beer. Also, I got there just as the music was starting so that was pretty cool as well.

Let’s start it from the top…

Frightened Rabbit

Frightened Rabbit were fresh off a slew of shows at SXSW, and I have to wonder where the concept “showcase” applied more, here or down in Texas. The crowd, obviously more familiar with the bands to come, was somber as the band set up on stage. The area right in front of the stage was forbidden ground; hipsters hid in the corners and under the balcony with crossed arms and glowering eyes.

The band would have to win over the crowd one jaded soul at a time, and from the opening bars it seemed they would be up to the task. The jangly guitars and rolling pastoral feel of their recorded work translates live into furious strumming and urgent rhythms, creating a wall of sound that subtly turns and shifts underneath the guitars and vocals.

The changes are smooth and almost subconscious; as the unrelenting rhythm engulfs the room, its persistence becomes almost a mantra - hypnotizing like a raga, or a Philip Glass piece.

Early on the band broke the ice by explaining the treacherous tasks that lay ahead for those brave enough to pre-order their new album: “you get a code that you enter on the website,” we’re told, “then you must cross the troll’s bridge and answer his three questions.” They also chatted a few times with a fan who, as he did at their Philly show last year, kept requesting Neil Young songs.

But the lynchpin was the music, expertly and energetically played. The staid crowd loosened up, tapping toes and nodding appreciatively. Halfway through the set the band unleashed a modified train beat that sounded like a cut from Led Zeppelin III filtered through Wilco and Radiohead. The nodding turned to head bobbing, and the space in front of the stage began to fill up.

By the time Frightened Rabbit played their final song, the crowd had moved forward en masse, more head bobbing, more toes tapping. Arms uncrossed and people finally started to dance.

Frightened Rabbit’s sophomore LP, The Midnight Organ Fight hits stores April 15^th on FatCat Records. The band’s hasn’t quite broken stateside yet, but this disc has a pretty good chance of changing all that.

www.frightenedrabbit.com

Bodies of Water

Where the hell was this band when I was in high school, listening to Jefferson Airplane and wondering if anyone made good music anymore? I posed this question to their keyboardist after the set; she said she never thought of the comparison until someone else had made it a few weeks prior. “We didn’t even play the one where I do a real Grace Slick [vibrato]” she told me, and punctuated it with a throaty, fluctuating “whoaaaaaaaa.”

The band’s trademark is undoubtedly their vocals – most of the time all five members are singing, either in unison or harmonizing. Along with the aforementioned Airplane, there’s also a Mamas and The Papas thing going on with the group vocals and folky, psychedelic sound.

The band started out with a multi-part number, one that threatened to be a yawner, but quickly picked up the pace and kept changing every few minutes or so. Think King Crimson with far less wankery. From there, the band played long songs, alternating between mood-setting minor key movements and songs that frequently changed tempos and parts.

Bodies of Water have a good sense of timing, playing instrumental passages and freakout sections long enough to mesmerize, but cutting them off just before they start to get old. My only complaint was a long, rambling onstage dialogue about how their set is like a “choose your own adventure” book. It threatened to derail the momentum, but the chatter was kept short after that. I was also told later that the band does actually make up their set lists on the spot, so more credit to them for their ability to feel out a crowd.

I picked up the band’s disc, Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink, and was surprised to find that their recorded work focuses a lot more on the gang vocals than instrumental passages, and that said vocals were colored with a bit of 70’s kitsch. However, once my ears adjusted the album proved an interesting listen – imagine Isis interpreting Godspell, or maybe Brian Wilson’s Smile.

I couldn’t say that that Bodies of Water is for everybody, but anybody that has an appreciation for 60s vocals and harmonies and analog sonic landscapes will find something to enjoy here.

www.bodiesofwater.net

Sons and Daughters

What to say about this band, really? Their album, This Gift, doesn’t do any justice at all to their live show.

Visually they’re stunning – guitarist Scott Paterson resembles a young Brian Setzer, drummer David Gowlooks a bit like Paul Siminon. Off to the side, Ailidh Lennon is nearly emotionless behind her bass, eyes as dark as her jet black hair. The centerpiece, of course, is vocalist Adele Bethel. Adorned in glitter and a retro miniskirt, she slinks sexily around the stage like a debauched Ronnette.

This was easily the most energetic live show I’ve seen so far this year. Sons and Daughters fleshes out their New Wave-informed garage rock with a little bit of rockabilly and a whole lot of energy. The backline is steady and solid, pounding out perfect backbeats or charging like a freight train while Paterson riffs like crazy and occasionally trades lines with Bethel. Somehow I think that this is what people in the 50s envisioned what rock n roll would sound like 50 years later.

There’d be more to this review, but halfway through the set I put the notepad down, descended from the balcony, and wandered into the middle of the crowd for maximum exposure. There’s not much more to say anyway, expect to go see the band when they come to your town.

www.sonsanddaughtersloveyou.com

Bonus! Midnight Movies

Assumedly in the spirit of the holiday, there’s an Easter Egg on Midnight Movies’ website – check out their Band page for a quirky little video.

I finally got around to checking out their cover of Nights in White Satin. The Moody Blues and I go way back; my high school band even covered this one at our talent show senior year.

I’m a big fan of what Midnight Movies does, and Gena Olivier’s sultry vocals are the freakin’ cat’s ass (yes, that’s a compliment, and also the worst pull quote ever). However, I didn’t dig this track as much as I would have liked. The band’s a bit stilted in waltz time, but they did manage to pick up some steam and get some nice moves in during the second half of the song.

At any rate, if you haven’t picked up Lion The Girl yet, I recommend it as one of my favorite finds of 2007. I’m currently awaiting my mail-order copy of their eponymous debut; something to hold me over until their EP comes out on vinyl.

(Just for kicks, here’s an MP3 of the aforementioned high school band take on Nights: - http://download.yousendit.com/D8138D6D4EB28900 thanks to John Ciocci - www.myspace.com/hardcidermusic -for digging this one out of the archives!)

www.midnightmovies.net

Sons and Daughters @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Sons and Daughters; Bodies of Water; The Brunettes
@ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY - March 21, 2008

Glasgow's Sons and Daughters are hard to peg down. They seem to dance around a few genres but never fully take a step into each pool. There is an undercurrent of hard country to all of it (and it certainly bubbles over during a summoning of Johnny Cash) but combined with a wisp of 80's rock and a little disco at some songs, the overall package sounds something like a definitive, solid, incarnation of what modern rock is supposed to sound like (are you listening, Foo Fighters?). Lead singer Adele Bethel's voice shimmer and shines in a live setting, hitting every note and taking some notes to new places in the spirit of gutsy rock n' roll.
Bodies of Water may be from California but they sound like they're from Texas. They may be be four people but they sound like the Magnificent Seven if the Magnificent Seven were a rock band instead of a posse. Seriously - every song sounds like a gang riding into town to save the day. The entire band sings together on every song adding even more of an urgency to the western march rhythms that penetrate every song. And it works. By the end of the set, it was addictive.
The ultra charming Brunettes, from New Zealand, know that there is a fine line between acceptable cute and unacceptable twee. They safely, and securely, stay in the cute end of the pool (second swimming pool analogy this review!). Consisting of six, sometimes seven, members, and playing just about every instrument under the sun (lead charmer Heather plays just about every single little tiny instrument ever made, it seems). Yes they can be symphonic and lush, which is par for the course with cute-pop, but they also mix things up. No two songs sounded remotely alike. The opening song even began with a sort of swampy, eerie, sludge. This is a band that seems on the verge of being utterly predictable but they manage to surprise you at almost every turn.
Brunettes Insta-Clip
Photos

Sons and Daughters: "Gilt Complex" !!!!

Now THIS is a rock song:


March 22 at the Bowery Ballroom